NHS strike breakthrough as consultants’ union agrees new pay deal with government

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An end to NHS consultants’ strikes could be in sight after the government and medical unions reached a new pay deal.

Consultants have been offered a new deal which will see the majority get a 12.8 per cent uplift for this financial year and some get a minimum of 6 per cent.

Overall the government has agreed to increase the total amount it will give for consultants pay by 4.5 per cent, despite having said earlier this year it would not increase pay beyond the 6 per cent uplift already awarded.

The increase will be different depending on the stage of a consultant’s career. Figures shared by the BMA show some senior doctors get an overall pay increase of 19 per cent, meaning some salaries will increase by nearly £20,000, according to the British Medical Association.

The government said it had reached a deal with consultants from the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) after weeks of talks.

The deal will now be put to members of the unions. If members agree to the deal, strikes by top hospital doctors, who have staged four rounds of industrial action since June, would end.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said: “We are pleased that after a month of intense talks and more than six months of strike action we never wanted to take, we have now got an offer we can put to members. It is a huge shame that it has needed consultants to take industrial action to get the government to this point when we called for talks many months ago.

“We also now have commitments to reforming the pay review process, which has been a key ask from the profession throughout our dispute. Only by restoring the independence of this process can we hope to restore consultant pay over the coming years.”

Rishi Sunak said: “Ending damaging strike action in the NHS is vitally important if we want to continue making progress towards cutting waiting lists while making sure patients get the care they deserve.

“This is a fair deal for consultants who will benefit from major reform to their contract, it is fair for taxpayers because it will not risk our ongoing work to tackle inflation, and most importantly it is a good deal for patients to see the end of consultant industrial action.”

Health secretary Victoria Atkins added: “If accepted, it will modernise pay structures, directly addressing gender pay issues in the NHS. It will also enhance consultants’ parental leave options.

“Putting an end to this strike action will support our efforts to bring down waiting lists and offer patients the highest quality care.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said the new offer will “modernise the consultant contract and reform consultants’ pay structure”.

There will be an increase to the starting salary for a consultant, and to the salary at the top of the new pay scale structure, the BMA said. Officials said that pay scale reforms in the deal will also help mitigate the gender pay gap seen between hospital consultants. Senior doctors will reach the top of the pay scale five years sooner than under the current scheme.

As part of the agreement, the BMA has agreed to not enforce minimum pay rates for consultants to work during junior doctors’ strikes.

Close to one million patient appointments have been cancelled due to strike action since last year and costs to NHS hospitals have reached £1 billion.

Talks between the government and junior doctors are still ongoing after discussions were opened last month. Downing Street said ministers would be open to “non-pay” negotiations with striking junior doctors.

Meanwhile, nursing union, The Royal College of Nursing, hit out at the government and said nurses will be “appalled” by the consultants’ agreement after the government did not meet pay demands made by the profession earlier this year.

Chief Nurse Nicola Ranger said: “It’s galling that almost 12 months since nursing staff took the unprecedented decision to strike, our pay dispute remains unresolved, and the government continues to undervalue our profession.

“Today’s news will ignite our members’ fury further, making nursing strikes more likely in the future.”

Responding to the news, Matthew Taylor chief executive for NHS Confederation which represents hospitals said: “The BMA, HCSA and government are to be congratulated for reaching a resolution for this long-running dispute which has such an impact on patients and the NHS, as well as on senior doctors themselves.

“NHS leaders will hope that BMA and HCSA members will vote to accept the offer made to them by the government so that further disruption to patient care can be brought to an end.”

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England, said: “It is extremely welcome news for patients, staff and the entire health service that an agreement between the government and the unions for NHS consultants has been reached.

“This agreement is a critical first step and we now need all parties to continue to work together to find a solution to remaining pay disputes as soon as possible.