Consultants in England have said they are willing to strike because of working conditions and pay, following the outcome of an eight-week ballot.

Consultants have delivered a mandate for potential future strikes after 76 per cent voted in favour of having the option of industrial action based on a 51.5 per cent turnout.

The ballot, which opened on 11 May and closed on 6 July, means consultants in England now have the right to use strike action should negotiations to improve pay and conditions not move forward.

Meanwhile, a simultaneous ballot of specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors in England saw a resounding 90 per cent of those taking part vote to endorse industrial action but fail to meet the 50 per cent turnout threshold required by law – although these regulations are set to change imminently. 

Commenting on the outcome of the ballot, BMA consultants committee co-chairs Shanu Datta and Helen Neary (pictured, top) gave thanks to all those who participated in the vote. 

They said the result clearly showed consultants are at a tipping point and the Government needs to act now to avoid industrial action.

They said: ‘This result demonstrates the strength of feeling among consultants: we need significant improvements to our working lives and that includes an end to pay erosion. 

‘It also sends a clear message to the Government that consultants should be better valued, and this means fair pay, more professional time, better valuation of out-of-hours work and for the endless erosion of our contracts to stop.'

They added: ‘Industrial action has always been a last resort for us and with the mandate for action now lasting 12 months we have plenty of time to negotiate. 

‘However, if the Government fails to seize this opportunity to make us a reasonable offer, we will not hesitate to call for strikes. This is a choice that the Government can and must make.’

BMA specialist, associate specialist and specialty committee chair Ujjwala Mohite said that, while the ballot had not met the strict legal requirements necessary for a mandate, the results none the less revealed a strong willingness among many SAS doctors to consider strike action.

She said: ‘The SAS committee will be meeting later this week to discuss the results and our next steps. We also continue to back our consultant colleagues, whose ballot provided them with a mandate, as they prepare their own next steps. 

‘Rest assured, however, that our campaign to improve the working lives of SAS doctors is not over – we remain in dispute. There are still conversations to be had with the Government and work to be done.’ 

Feeble proposal

The decision by the BMA consultants committee and SASC to ballot on the option of strike action came in large part because of the Government’s decision to endorse a 3.5 per cent pay uplift for 2026/27 for both sets of doctors, as recommended by the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body.

This decision was heavily criticised by consultants and SAS doctors as they had respectively seen their pay stagnate by 26 per cent and 24 per cent since 2008.

Leaders for the doctors have also expressed unhappiness with a lack of progress in improving working conditions, something they warn contributes to ever greater numbers of senior doctors reducing their hours or quitting the NHS.

The BMA is set to advise members further on next steps.