Consultants name September strike dates

Medical consultants in England will strike on 19 and 20 September if the government “refuses to agree to pay talks and present a credible offer,” the British Medical Association has said.

The medical trade union announced its latest walkout as consultants prepare to take industrial action on the two days before the August bank holiday weekend.

The strikes will again consist of “Christmas day cover”, where members will keep minimal emergency services open but not elective care.

If it goes ahead, it will be the third consultants’ strike since July and comes after junior doctors staged an unprecedented five-day walkout last month.

Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA’s consultants committee, said: “No consultant wants to take strike action but unless we take a stand, we risk losing our most experienced doctors, putting the very future of the NHS at risk.

“It’s not too late to avert these strikes and we call upon the health secretary [Steve Barclay] to meet with us urgently.”

The prime minister said last month that he had no plans to reopen pay talks for consultants or junior doctors, having issued a 6 per cent pay award. 

Consultants’ leaders have indicated they would call off strikes and hold talks if there was a government offer matching annual inflation. 

Junior doctors are currently balloting members for a mandate to extend strike action beyond August.

Doctors’ strikes so far this year

Junior doctors

13-16 March

11-15 April

14-17 June

13-18 July

11-15 August (planned)

Consultants

20-21 July

24-25 August (planned)

19-20 September (planned)