Thousands of NHS consultants have walked out across England in a dispute over pay as the health service prepares for another wave of industrial action.
Consultants will also walk out on Wednesday, when they will be joined by junior doctors in the first joint strike in the history of the NHS.
Junior doctors, who have held 19 days of strike action since March, will then continue their strike on Thursday and Friday this week.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of taking “politically motivated” strike action, with one set of walkouts coinciding with the Tory party conference.
He told GB News: “The BMA should be calling off these strikes – which appear politically motivated in terms of the timing also of the strike action planned for the Conservative Party conference – and focusing on patients.”
BMA consultant committee chair, Dr Vishal Sharma, said that the prospect of regular NHS strikes was “a situation that nobody wants”, but that staff “need to keep taking a stand and keep taking action.”
Why are NHS workers on strike?
Senior doctors are striking this week over a pay decline that the British Medical Association says has resulted in their take-home pay falling by more than a third in 14 years.
NHS consultants will also strike for three days between Monday 2 October and Wednesday 4 October. They are fighting for a larger pay rise than the 6 per cent agreed by the Government, arguing that the devaluation of consultants is resulting in an exodus of staff, which is harming the NHS and patients.
Junior doctors cite a cost of living crisis, burnout and plummeting pay as their reason for strike action.
In 2022, junior doctors were offered a pay rise of just two per cent, a figure described as “insulting”.
Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Dr Sharma said consultants wanted an above-inflation pay award for this year, which in April was running about 11 per cent.
“That’s a very similar amount to what was offered to doctors in Scotland and it shows it’s absolutely possible to actually do that, if there’s the right political will.”
On the 7.7 million people on the NHS waiting list, he said: “These waiting lists have not been caused by the strikes, these waiting lists were going up well before the pandemic and what that’s led to is a huge pressure on the whole NHS workforce, the consultant workforce is absolutely burnt out.
“And it’s no coincidence this has happened at a time when the Government has been cutting pay, cutting investment in the NHS for a long period of time, and essentially we want to get back to ensure we can recruit and retain doctors properly.”
How much do consultants and junior doctors earn?
Junior doctors
Doctors in training earn a basic salary, plus pay for any hours over 40 per week, a 37 per cent enhancement for working nights, a weekend allowance for any work at the weekend, an availability allowance if you are required to be available on-call, and other potential earnings.
In Foundation training, medics earn a basic salary of £32,398 to £37,303 (since 1 April, 2023).
A doctor starting their specialist training in 2023 has a basic salary of £43,923 to £63,152, while those working as a specialty doctor earn a basic salary of £52,530 to £82,400.
A specialist grade doctor will earn a basic salary of £83,945 to £92,275.
Consultants
Since 1 April, 2023, consultants earn a basic salary of £93,666 to £126,281 per year, depending on the length of service.
They may apply for local Clinical Excellence Awards and national Clinical Impact Awards. This is a competitive process which takes into account work that they do over and above delivering their basic job requirements.
In addition, if a consultant takes on extra responsibilities, for example in management or education, they may expect to be paid more.
Consultants can also supplement their salary by working in private practice if they wish. The opportunities available will depend on their specialty areas and the time they wish to spend on this outside of their NHS contracted hours.
