Senior Doctors in England Accept Pay Offer, End Strikes
Senior doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) have announced that 83% of their members have voted in favor of a pay rise offer from the British government....
Facts
- Senior doctors from the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) have announced that 83% of their members have voted in favor of a pay rise offer from the British government.1
- On top of a 6% pay increase effective Aprìl 2023, an additional uplift of 5% on average that had been narrowly rejected in January now includes a 2.9% wage increase for consultants with four to seven years of experience.2
- The deal increases the total rise in wage for consultants with four to seven years of experience to 9.0%. Consultants with eight years experience will see a 19.6% total rise, while those with 14-18 years completed are given a 17.2% increase.3
- The deal is the UK government's second offer after an initial proposal was rejected by National Health Service (NHS) consultants earlier in 2024. The almost year-long dispute led to strikes causing 1.4M appointments to be postponed.4
- Latest data from the NHS shows that, as of January 2024, the NHS waiting list sits at approximately 7.6M cases, with 6.3M patients waiting for treatment and one in five days in the month being affected by strikes.5
- While 62% of senior doctors voted to accept the offer, junior doctors haven't yet reached a deal with the UK government. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the agreement over NHS consultant pay as 'excellent news for patients.'6
Sources: 1BBC News, 2bma.org.uk (a), 3bma.org.uk (b), 4Independent, 5England and 6reuters.com.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Daily Mail. While all parties have hailed the agreement as both sensible and reassuring, and the deal is likely to help continue to reduce waiting times, there is more to do. Although the NHS continues to be spread thin, only exacerbated by continued rounds of various health sector strikes, the deal does give hope that a mature middle ground can continue to be found.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Canary. NHS staff will continue to ensure they are being paid appropriately for their value. With the UK being drained of both experienced and young professionals taking handsome overseas offers, the agreement will help to block the leak within the UK's health service for now. While the Tories may laud the ending of the dispute as a comprehensive political victory, there is a long way to go until the government settles its debts with the entirety of NHS staff.
