NHS consultants reject government pay offer meaning strike action set to continue

NHS consultants have rejected a pay offer from the government - meaning long-running strike action could continue.

The senior doctors, known as consultants, ceased strike action in November 2023 after receiving the offer of a 4.95% pay rise on top of the annual 6% increase.

Members of the British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors in the UK, have been voting on the offer this month.

The doctors voted 51.1% against the pay offer.

The agreement also sought to reform the pay structure for senior doctors reducing the number of pay brackets and the time it takes to reach the top and making a clearer link between pay progression and experience.

BMA consultants committee chair Vishal Sharma said: "The vote has shown that consultants do not feel the current offer goes far enough to end the current dispute and offer a long-term solution to the recruitment and retention crisis for senior doctors.

"However, with the result so close, the consultants committee is giving the government a chance to improve the offer."

A separate long-running dispute with junior doctors over pay also remains ongoing.

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