Hospital consultants will strike for two days next month if they vote in favor of union action in a pay dispute, their union has announced.
The British Medical Association said its members will leave on July 20 and 21 if the government continues to ‘refuse to come up with a credible wage offer’.
Consultants would only provide “Christmas Day” coverage, meaning they will provide emergency services but not routine care.
NHS Providers, representing trusts, warned of a ‘challenging summer’, noting that the industrial action will be disruptive for patients and ‘ring alarm bells’ with health bosses.
It comes as junior doctors prepare to walk away for three days starting Wednesday, in their third round of industrial action this year.
The BMA doctors’ union warned that strikes by consultants would be far more damaging than recent strikes by young doctors (pictured are young doctors protesting outside Southend University Hospital on April 14)
It will see the medics withdrawing all care, including A&E, for 72 hours from 7 a.m. Consultants are paid up to £250 an hour to cover their junior colleagues.
The advisers’ vote on their pay row with the government does not close until June 27.
But the BMA said it is now announcing possible strike dates to give hospitals time to reschedule appointments and prioritize the most urgent cases.
This is due to consultants’ “unique position” as the NHS’s most senior clinicians, whose duties cannot be fulfilled by other staff, it added.
Dr. Vishal Sharma, chairman of the committee of BMA advisers, said: ‘Strike action is not inevitable and it is well within the gift of the government to make us a reasonable offer that would put an end to industrial action.
Dr. Vishal Sharma, chairman of the committee of BMA advisers, said: ‘Strike action is not inevitable and it is well within the gift of the government to make us a reasonable offer that would stop the union action’
“But if this doesn’t happen, we are committed to action that is effective and safe.”
“As the most senior and experienced doctors working in hospitals, no one can replace consultants – which is why we give our members, our colleagues and employers a lot of time to prepare, even before our voting closes.
“That way they can manage their lists and prioritize the patients who need the most care.
“We also reiterate that any strike action will still make it through Christmas Day, which means emergency rooms will still be open and staffed with consultants.
“We know advisers don’t take decisions about union action lightly, but it’s not just about pay – it’s about protecting the future of the NHS.
“If we stand by and accept further real pay cuts, we will continue to lose more of our most senior and experienced clinicians at a time when the NHS and patients need them most.
“We want to create an environment in the NHS where consultants want to work and where doctors in training can see their future. Union action is a last resort, but there’s simply no justification for consultants being valued a third less today than they were 15 years ago.
“The government now has six weeks to come back to the table with a fair and reasonable proposal that can avoid industrial action.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘The threat of more strikes to an overburdened NHS in the coming weeks will set alarm bells ringing among trust leaders across the country.
The proposed dates for next month follow the planned three-day strike by the junior doctors next week, meaning trusts between the two will have little time to recover.
While all emergency services would still be available during this strike, routine services would inevitably have to be suspended, further disrupting patient care.
“We understand why hospital consultants feel they have pushed for this action, including the need for a pay rise in line with inflation.
“Trust leaders will do everything they can to mitigate the impact of these strikes on patients as providing safe, high-quality care remains their top priority.
“But with more BMA junior doctors strikes on the horizon, this looks set to be a very challenging summer for the NHS.
“The only way to resolve these ongoing disputes is for both parties – the unions and the government – to sit down and talk about pay as soon as possible and in good faith.”
Steve Barclay said today there must be “movement on both sides” amid the dispute between the government and junior doctors.
The health secretary said the demand for a 35 per cent wage increase was “unreasonable” and “could go to 49 per cent if you add to it next year”.
He insisted that the government’s door remain open, but accused the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee of refusing to give in to the 35 per cent wage demand, despite using an intermediary in the negotiations.
More than half a million NHS appointments in England have been canceled since December due to healthcare strikes, official figures show
Junior doctors on the Picket line outside the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London on April 14, 2023
Dr. Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, said: ‘With junior doctors’ salaries eroded by 26 per cent over the last 15 years and with double-digit inflation this year, the supply is at 5 per cent the one implemented by the government would amount to further wage cuts.
That is in no way a fair or reasonable offer and will not help to stem the exodus of junior doctors from the NHS.
“The Minister of Health can come to us at any time with a credible offer – preventing future strikes is part of the government’s gift.”
Advisor voting closes on June 27.
NHS trusts could face significant disruption during junior doctors’ strikes after hundreds of senior medics threatened not to cover colleagues on picket lines.
More than 800 hospital consultants in London have said they will not cover striking trainee doctors unless their employers agree to pay a higher overtime rate set by the BMA.
A new letter, signed by 8.7 per cent of London advisers, says some NHS trusts outside the capital have agreed to pay the higher rate, the Health Service Journal reported.
The BMA rate card says medics should be paid up to £250 an hour to deliver overtime, with this highest rate for nights.