Following a wave of NHS strikes which have led to more than a million appointments and operations being rescheduled, the government has agreed to meet consultants to attempt to resolve the dispute. The British Medical Association (BMA) has said that it will not call any more strikes until November to allow time for talks, but the Department of Health has said that “headline pay” is not on the table. Many health bosses have implored both sides to enter talks, with concerns raised over the possibility of further industrial action during the winter period.
Consultants and junior doctors staged a three-day joint strike at the start of October in a bid to improve pay and working conditions. However, the Department of Health has pointed out that consultants have already received a “fair and reasonable pay rise” which was recommended by the independent pay review body. This has resulted in doctors who started their hospital training earlier this year receiving a 10.3% pay increase, with the average junior doctor receiving 9.8% and consultants receiving 6%.
Dr Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee, reacted positively to the news that the government has agreed to enter talks but added that the pay review body needed reform to “correct the losses that consultants have experienced that have resulted in the current workforce crisis”. Consultants have not put a figure on what pay increase they would like but are insisting that it must be above inflation, so that pay lost due to inflation can begin to be restored. This year, consultants have been given a 6% pay rise by the government, bringing their basic salary to between £93,000 and £126,000 depending on experience, with the added possibility of earning up to a quarter more for things such as being on-call, additional hours, and bonuses
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