Hospital consultants in England reject government pay offer

Hospital consultants in England have narrowly rejected the government’s improved pay offer, in a move that could lead to further strikes in the NHS.

In a referendum run by the British Medical Association, consultants voted by 51% to 49% against a deal that would have given them an extra 4.95% pay rise on average for the last three months of the 2023-24 financial year, on top of the 6% award for the year that they have already received.

Despite rejecting the offer, which included plans to make the doctors’ pay review body more independent of ministers, consultants have not announced an immediate resumption of strikes. They are instead calling for renewed talks with ministers and NHS bodies to try to end a pay dispute that has led to a total of nine days of walkouts since last July.

More details soon …