Senior NHS consultants in England to strike for two days from 25 November

The announcement

The British Medical Association said on Monday, 26 October, that consultants in England will strike for two days next month. The action is set for 25 and 26 November. Consultants are the most senior doctors in the NHS, and the union says emergency cover will remain in place throughout, with staffing arrangements resembling those used on Christmas Day. The BBC reports that the walkout is due to begin at 06:59 GMT on 25 November. Consultants in England last went on strike in 2023, and the union says the dispute with ministers has now lasted more than 18 months.

Why the doctors are walking out

The union frames the action as a response to pay, workloads and wellbeing. In a joint statement, the co-chairs of the BMA consultants committee, Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, accused the government of ignoring concerns about consultants' wellbeing and workload. They also accuse ministers of proposing a further reduction in pay while progress on waiting lists stalls. The statement says consultants' pay is still a quarter lower in real terms than it was 17 years ago, and that excessive workloads are driving doctors to burnout.

“Unfortunately, that road has now run out and we have been forced to announce strikes.”

Pay figures in the coverage differ. The BBC and the Guardian both report that consultants received a 3.5% pay increase this year. LBC reports that the government had proposed a 2.4% pay rise, which unions described as derisory.

2026 pay increase given to consultants (BBC, Guardian)3.5%

Government proposed pay rise (LBC)2.4%

2026 pay increase given to consultants (BBC, Guardian)

3.5 %

Government proposed pay rise (LBC)

2.4 %

Data from the article text

Ballot and talks

More than three-quarters of consultants who took part in the BMA ballot voted for strike action, according to the Guardian, while the BBC gives the share as 76%. Members had backed a mandate for industrial action in July, Evening Standard reports. Talks with the government took place over the past month, the BBC says, but the union argues that ministers have repeatedly put off a resolution. The BMA says it has engaged in good faith with the government since the dispute began, proposing practical solutions. The union says the walkout could still be avoided if Health Secretary Yvette Cooper commits to formal negotiations on pay and working conditions.

What comes next

The BMA says the government has four weeks to prevent the action from taking place. Consultants form the most senior tier of NHS doctors and, in the union's view, are central to running and designing services and training the future workforce. The union says that solving the pressures facing the health service depends on valuing and retaining these doctors. Its leaders say the government is failing to recognise this. The union says it looks forward to hearing from the Health Secretary on areas where agreement could be reached. Whether the strike goes ahead on 25 November will depend on the government's response in the coming weeks.