NHS Consultants to Strike for Two Days in Late November

Senior doctors in England will stop work for two days in November, the British Medical Association announced on Sunday.

The walkout begins at 6:59 a.m. on November 25. Only emergency care will remain operational during the strike. More than 75% of consultants who voted in the union ballot supported industrial action. The group received a 3.5% pay increase this fiscal year. This is the first time these doctors have struck since 2023. The dispute with the government has continued for over 18 months.

Yvette Cooper, the health secretary, can still prevent the action by agreeing to formal talks on pay and working conditions. Dr. Helen Neary and Dr. Shanu Datta, co-chairs of the BMA consultants committee, said consultants do more than treat patients. They design services, train junior staff, and supervise the future workforce. The co-chairs stated that keeping these doctors is necessary to ease pressure on the health system.

The union accused ministers of ignoring consultant wellbeing and workload. Neary and Datta said the government is pushing doctors away from the NHS. They noted that progress on waiting lists has stalled. Ministers are telling consultants they deserve a pay cut, according to the co-chairs. The BMA proposed practical solutions in good faith. It said ministers repeatedly delayed decisions. The co-chairs said the profession has now reached its limit.

The BMA stated that consultant earnings are 25% lower in real terms than they were 17 years ago. These wages have fallen faster than the rest of the economy. The union argued that doctors lack time to focus fully on patients. It said the system trades quality for target chasing. This approach drives colleagues to burnout through high workloads. The government has four weeks to avoid the strike. Neary and Datta said they await a response from the health secretary to end the dispute.

The strike is set to affect non-urgent outpatient clinics and planned operations. Emergency departments will continue to function. The BMA said striking is not natural for consultants. The profession has made clear it has had enough. The union looks to restore the role of the consultant in the NHS.