NHS Consultants in England to Strike on November 25 and 26 Over Pay and Workload

Senior doctors in England will strike for two days next month in a dispute over pay, pensions, workload and wellbeing, the British Medical Association said on Monday. Consultants will walk out on November 25 and 26 after the union accused the Government of ignoring concerns about the wellbeing and workload of medics.

The action is to begin at 6:59 a.m. on November 25, with only emergency cover provided, similar to Christmas Day staffing. Health leaders warned that non urgent outpatient appointments, elective surgeries and follow ups are likely to be postponed or rescheduled.

Why consultants voted to strike

Seventy six percent of consultants who took part in a British Medical Association ballot voted in support of action, as part of a dispute over pay and pensions. Members had voted in favour of a mandate for industrial action in July. After an emergency meeting last week, the consultants committee voted for strike action, and the union said the Government had offered no meaningful commitment to solving the long running dispute over the consultant role.

Consultants were given a 3.5 percent pay increase this year. The union argued that pay has fallen by a quarter over the past 17 years once inflation is taken into account, a fall The Times put at 25 percent in real terms. Last week the Government announced proposals to increase doctors' pay by 2.4 percent for 2027-28, which the union described as a significant real terms pay cut. The Times reported average consultant pay of 152,000 pounds a year, with a 25,000 pound boost to average earnings over the past four years. The association claims consultant pay in Ireland can be as much as double that in England.

Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the British Medical Association consultants committee, said: "Solving the pressures facing the health service will be impossible without valuing and retaining these doctors. Yet the Government is failing to recognise this, ignoring our concerns around consultants' wellbeing and workload, and pushing them further away from the NHS."

Workload, burnout and the cost of change

The consultants committee has been in talks with the Government on measures to tackle burnout and keep consultants in the NHS, including more protected time for teaching, cutting standard hours to bring consultants in line with other NHS staff, and better recognition for out of hours work. According to the Government, cutting the consultant week by five hours would cost between 2 billion and 3 billion pounds.

The Government response

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper described the announcement as very disappointing and said the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England have been in constructive discussions with the union. She said taking industrial action as the NHS prepares for winter would be irresponsible. Sir Ciaran Devane, chief executive of the NHS Alliance, warned that a strike will disrupt patient appointments and surgeries while severely hitting NHS finances following a gruelling summer.

What happens next

The strike can be avoided if Cooper commits to formal negotiations on pay and working conditions, the association said. The co-chairs said the Government has four weeks to avoid any action taking place. Consultants in England last went on strike in 2023, between July and October, but have been in dispute with the Government since last year. If talks fail, the November days will again leave hospitals on emergency cover at the start of winter.