Overview
- An indicative BMA ballot found 67% of consultants (10,763 of 16,082) and 82% of SAS doctors (2,409 of 2,952) willing to take industrial action.
- The vote was indicative rather than a formal strike ballot, with reported turnout at 42% for consultants and 45% for SAS doctors, below a commonly cited 50% threshold for legal action.
- BMA leaders say a 4% uplift this year still leaves real-terms pay down by 26% for consultants and 24% for SAS doctors since 2008/09.
- The Department of Health said most senior doctors are not prepared to strike and pointed to consultants’ pay rising 22% over three years to an average of £145,000.
- Resident doctors staged a five-day strike from 25 to 30 July and remain in talks with the government, underscoring wider NHS pay disputes.