NHS consultants reject deal that gave some £20k rise

CONSULTANTS have rejected a pay deal that would give some doctors a £20,000 rise in a knife-edge vote.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has now asked ministers to increase the offer, after 51 per cent of its members voted against it. The union said that because the vote was so narrow, it sought to reopen pay talks. Victoria Atkins. the Health Secretary, said the Government was now “carefully considering next steps”.

Consultants had been asked to vote on a pay deal which meant an overall 4.95 per cent increase in the pay pot, with a rise of almost 13 per cent for some. The overhaul of senior doctors’ contracts and pay scales meant greater reward for progression with the ability to reach higher levels more quickly. Some 23,544 consultants took part in the referendum between Dec 14 and Jan 23, a turnout of 64.8 per cent. The margins were close, with 48.9 per cent voting in favour of the offer and 51.1 per cent against.

While consultants have a mandate to strike until June 2024, the union said it was keen to enter talks with the Government to agree a deal.

NHS managers urged both sides to enter negotiations, with 1.3million operations and appointments now cancelled because of health service strikes at a cost of £2 billion.

Dr Vishal Sharma, the chairman of the BMA consultants committee, said: “The vote has shown that consultants do not feel the current offer goes far enough to end the dispute and offer a long-term solution to the recruitment and retention crisis for senior doctors.”

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said: “Last week, Rishi Sunak was bragging that NHS doctors had accepted his pay offer. This vote shows he was trying to pull the wool over the public’s eyes. The NHS is in the second year of strikes. They have cost patients more than one million cancelled operations and appointments, and cost taxpayers £2billion.”