NHS consultants finally reach potentially strike-ending deal that will boost starting salaries to £100k
NHS consultants have struck a potentially strike-ending pay deal that would boost their starting salaries to nearly £100,000 a year.
Thousands of top doctors could get rises of up to a whopping £19,000 each if they vote to end crippling hospital walkouts.
The new deal will add a 4.95 per cent “investment” in overall pay for the medics, on top of a direct wage increase of six per cent earlier this year, with someone's total rise dependent on their pay grade.
The starting salary for a first-year consultant would increase from £88,000 in 2022 to £99,532 if they accept.
Top-end pay will rise from £119,000 to £131,964 – and a red-tape cut would mean they get to the top five years faster.
Many also earn extra cash from bonuses, overtime and private work.
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Dr Vishal Sharma, top heart doctor and British Medical Association negotiator, said: “We are pleased that after a month of intense talks we have got an offer.”
Consultants have been on strike four times since July – twice joining forces with junior doctors, who are still hunting for a deal.
In their last solo walkout on September 19, 8,548 consultants downed tools, triggering the cancellation of almost 35,000 appointments and operations.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Ending damaging strike action in the NHS is vitally important if we want to continue making progress towards cutting waiting lists.
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“This is a fair deal for consultants, who will benefit from major reform to their contract, and it is fair for taxpayers because it will not risk our ongoing work to tackle inflation.”
Health Secretary Victoria Atkins added: “If accepted, this offer will modernise pay structures.”
The pay boost would mean consultants get between a six and 13 per cent pay rise in April, backdated to January 2024, compared to what they were paid last year.
Their career progression will be streamlined so there are fewer pay bands, getting them to the highest wages more quickly.
They will also get better shared parental leave.
Ministers also promised to give the BMA more power over the annual pay review process and a say on who sits on the deciding panel.
The BMA and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA), a smaller union, will put the offer to their members for a vote.
Sir Julian Hartley, chief of NHS Providers, which represents hospital bosses, said: “This is a vital step.
“Industrial action has caused unprecedented disruption in the last year.
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“Over 50 strike days have led to 1.2million appointments being pushed back and cost the NHS an estimated £1.4bn through lost income and staff cover.
“NHS trust leaders will be hugely relieved that consultants won’t be striking over Christmas – but we’re not out of the woods yet.”