Health unions reach pay deal with government which could see end to senior doctors' strikes

The British Medical Association and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association unions will now put the pay offer to their members - as Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe reports

Health unions have reached a pay deal in principle with the government, which could potentially see the end of strikes by senior doctors, officials have said.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced it reached the agreement over pay with The British Medical Association (BMA) and Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA), who will now put the offer to their members.

It would see consultants get an extra 4.95% from January on top of the 6% they've already been awarded this year - but the pay for individuals will vary greatly, with some receiving an increase of up to 13%.

Monday's agreement follows a series of strikes by senior consultants, dating back to July.

The Department of Health said the deal will build on the 6% pay rise previously awarded by "modernising the consultants' pay structure".

The BMA said the offer constituted a 4.95% "investment in pay" on top of the 6% pay rise already awarded this year.

The majority of consultants will receive an extra rise of up to 12.8%, depending on their pay point, the BMA said, adding this was separate to any pay award recommended by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) for 2024/25.

The union said if its members vote to accept the deal, the changes will be applicable from January 2024, but will be paid retrospectively in April 2024.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said ending "damaging strike action" was "vitally important" in cutting waiting lists, which remains one of his five priorities for the year.

"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," he said.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins said: "I hugely value the work of NHS consultants and am pleased that we have been able to make this fair and reasonable offer after weeks of constructive negotiations.

"If accepted, it will modernise pay structures, directly addressing gender pay issues in the NHS. It will also enhance consultants' parental leave options."

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.

"The 4.95% investment and much-needed changes to the pay scale system comes after we successfully persuaded the Government to reform the punitive pension taxation laws earlier this year, and 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.

"How each consultant will benefit will depend on their individual circumstances, and we will be providing them with as much detail as we can, so they are able to look carefully through the details to help them decide whether to accept the offer."

Earlier this year, nurses agreed to end strike action after accepting a revised pay offer from the government - including a lump sum payment of between £1,250 and £2,000 for last year, and a 5% rise next year.

More than one million appointments have been cancelled as a result of industrial action across the NHS, according to figures released in September.

Commenting on the pay deal struck between hospital consultants and the Government, 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.

"NHS teams across the country have worked incredibly hard to ensure urgent and lifesaving care has continued during industrial action, but there is no doubt that strikes have had a significant impact on patients and families, and so today's breakthrough comes as a huge relief.

"This is particularly welcome as we prepare extensively for what it is likely to be another challenging winter and continue to make progress on our recovery plans, following inevitable disruption caused by the pandemic.

"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."

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