Senior doctors in England and Northern Ireland are being urged to ‘stand up’ and ‘stand together’, as balloting of consultants, specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors and resident doctors over possible strike action opens today.
Thousands of doctors are set to participate in the ballot to decide whether they are willing to take industrial action over pay and conditions.
The balloting of doctors in England mirrors those taking place in Northern Ireland where all secondary care doctors – consultants, resident and SAS doctors – are also being urged to provide mandates for potential industrial action in response to stagnating pay.
Should a mandate for industrial action be delivered, it would mean that all secondary care doctors working in both nations would be able to take strike action.
The move comes a month after the UK government approved a 3.5 per cent pay uplift for 2026/27 as recommended by the Review Body on Doctors’ andcDentists’ Remuneration for all consultants, resident and SAS doctors.
Pay erosion
Despite reaching a deal on pay and commitments to greater progression in 2024, consultants in England have warned that their pay remains around 26 per cent lower than it was in 2008/09, while SAS doctors have endured a 23.4 per cent fall in their real-terms pay during the same time period.
Leaders for both sets of doctors have also expressed unhappiness over a lack of progress in talks with Government regarding improvements to working conditions, something they warn is contributing to ever greater numbers of senior doctors reducing their hours or quitting the NHS.
BMA consultants committee co-chairs Shanu Datta and Helen Neary (pictured above) said that, in a health service that was facing enormous strain, the failure to ‘value, support and protect’ consultants or to pay them properly, was forcing many experienced doctors out of the NHS.
They said: ‘When you or your loved ones go to hospital, a consultant is the most senior and skilled doctor in the department, in overall charge of your care. They are also responsible for improving services and designing new ones, as well as training the doctors of the future.
‘Yet the failure to value this expertise, and support and protect consultants from the demands of the job, means we risk losing them when patients need them most. Left unaddressed, the impact of this is early retirement, quiet quitting, and consultants leaving the profession in the UK and entirely resulting in doctor shortages and even worse wait times for care.
‘BMA consultants and SAS doctors in England are standing together and demanding better. Better pay that ensures a career in the NHS remains attractive and sustainable. Better conditions to ensure that we can care for our patients safely. Better recognition for the key quality and safety work that consultants need to undertake for our patients and the NHS.’
They added: ‘Industrial action is a last resort, but in the face of a Government that seems intent on making the role of a consultant even more demanding with no associated recognition, we are left with no choice but to show ministers that we are prepared to stand up for one another, our professionalism and our patients.’
BMA specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors committee chair Ujjwala Mohite warned that, despite the introduction of new contracts in recent years, improvements to career progression and opportunities for SAS doctors had not progressed, leaving many of these skilled doctors unable to fulfil their potential.
She said: ‘SAS doctors are the bedrock of so many hospitals, providing lifesaving and vital care to people day-in day-out. Yet they continue to go unrecognised.
‘Like our consultant and resident doctor colleagues, we too have seen our pay fall. Alongside this SAS doctors experience barriers to career development and lack of opportunities, that mean they unable to offer their true potential to patients.’
She added: ‘We hope that industrial action won’t be necessary, but SAS doctors must be prepared to stand together to show their value to a government that won’t recognise it.’
Simultaneous action
In 2024, consultant, SAS and resident doctors in Northern Ireland voted 'yes' for pay deals seen as benefitting pay for years to come and progressing towards full pay restoration.
However, since then doctors leaders for all three branches of practice have criticised the subsequent DDRB pay awards as reversing this progress, as well as the fact that uplifts in Northern Ireland have successively been paid months later than elsewhere in the UK.
As with England, the ballots in Northern Ireland could now see all secondary doctors working in the nation’s health service taking strike action simultaneously.
Commenting on the move to ballots, chairs for Northern Ireland's consultant, resident and SAS doctor committees unanimously stated that inadequate progress on pay coupled with increasing pressure on staff meant that doctors had little choice but to vote on possible strike action.
BMA Northern Ireland resident doctors committee chair Steven Montgomery said: ‘Resident doctors want to stay and work in Northern Ireland, but the government’s refusal to meaningfully address pay erosion is forcing many of us to look for work elsewhere or consider leaving medicine entirely.
‘Balloting for strike action again is not something we want to do, but if we do not reverse pay erosion, then the loss of doctors from our health service will continue, leaving the system unable to care for patients.’
Ballots are now open and will run until 8 June for consultant, resident and SAS doctors in Northern Ireland and until 6 July for consultants and SAS doctors in England.
More information on the balloting process for both nations can be found on the BMA website:
– Northern Ireland consultants