Senior NHS Doctors Announce Two-Day November Strike
Consultants to provide only emergency cover as BMA cites ignored calls for formal pay negotiations.
Sarah Connor
Senior NHS doctors in England will strike for two days in November.
Dr. Helen Neary and Dr. Shanu Datta stated, "Consultants take their responsibilities incredibly seriously, and striking does not come naturally, but we are hearing loud and clear from the profession that they have had enough."
Consultants take their responsibilities incredibly seriously, and striking does not come naturally, but we are hearing loud and clear from the profession that they have had enough.
The BMA argues consultant pay has plummeted by a quarter over the past 17 years, adjusted for inflation. This starkly contrasts with resident doctors, who reportedly earn 35.2 percent more on average than they did four years ago.
In 2026, the Government accepted a 3.5 percent pay increase recommended by the DDRB. Consumer Prices Index inflation surged to 3.1 percent in August 2026.
The BMA has been locked in dispute with the government since last year, holding a strike action mandate for over three months. The union accuses the government of "ignoring concerns" around the "wellbeing and workload" of medics.
A significant majority of consultants, 76% of those who voted in a BMA ballot, favored strike action. Consultants last took strike action in 2023.
Dr. Helen Neary emphasized the critical role consultants play, stating, "As the most senior and skilled doctors in the NHS, consultants not only provide frontline, life–saving care, but they are central to running and designing services, training and supervising the future workforce, and ensuring patients get the best treatment possible."
The BMA maintains the strike can be averted if Health Secretary Yvette Cooper commits to formal negotiations on pay and working conditions. The union claims it has tried to get its message through to government and avoid calling industrial action.