Consultant strike in England 'paused' for government negotiations

Ben Birchall/PA Wire

By Erin Dean

Strike action by consultants in England planned for later this month has been called off to allow negotiations to begin with the government.

The most senior doctors in hospitals had planned to walk out on 25 and 26 November in a long-running dispute over pay and working conditions.

The British Medical Association (BMA) announced the action will be paused while the consultants committee enters formal negotiations.

The decision was made by the committee on Tuesday following talks with health secretary Yvette Cooper.

Cooper welcomed the cancellation of the strikes as "welcome news for patients and the wider NHS".

She said "constructive talks" with the BMA focused on "reforms that could give consultants a stronger voice, greater flexibility and more freedom to innovate, while improving services for patients".

The union is calling for progress on what it says it a 25% real-terms pay cut experienced by consultants over the last 17 years, alongside increasingly unsustainable workloads and worsening working conditions.