Consultant doctors in England call off two-day pay strike

Walkouts on 25 and 26 November suspended in favour of opening formal talks with the government

Consultant doctors in England have decided to pause their two days of strike action at the end of the month.

Scheduled for 25 and 26 November, the walkouts were announced by the British Medical Association when 18 months of talks with the government failed to lead to agreement on key issues.

The issues included a 25% fall in the real-terms value of salaries since 2009/10 and a requested 10% cut in working hours. The consultants voted in July to take industrial action.

The walkouts would have resulted in consultants carrying out emergency care only, which would probably have led to delays for most routine and elective services.

However, the strike action has now been paused to allow for formal negotiations with the government, the BMA said. The pause was welcomed by the health secretary, Yvette Cooper, who said she had held “constructive” talks with the BMA’s consultants committee.

Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, the committee’s co-chairs, said they welcomed the chance to open formal negotiations with the government and hoped it marked a turning point in the dispute.

“We’ve always said strikes do not need to go ahead as long as the government is willing to genuinely negotiate, and now is their chance to do so,” they added.

“We have received assurances that there are no constraints on what we discuss in these negotiations, and we look forward to hearing their proposals on both pay and working conditions.”

Although consultants were given a 3.5% increase this year, the BMA said pay had fallen by a quarter over the past 17 years in real terms.

The BMA said the proposed strike action was also about “ensuring consultants have the time, recognition and support they need to deliver the best possible care for patients and secure the future of the NHS, while not driving themselves to burnout”.

Cooper said: “The BMA consultants committee’s decision to call off planned strike action is welcome news for patients and the wider NHS, avoiding disruption to care and allowing NHS staff to focus on delivering services and preparing for a challenging winter.

“I had a constructive discussion with the BMA consultants committee on reforms that could give consultants a stronger voice, greater flexibility and more freedom to innovate, while improving services for patients. We are committed to taking that work forward together in the weeks ahead.”