NHS consultants in England accept pay offer and end pay dispute and strike action

Consultants in England have voted to accept a government pay deal - bringing to an end the dispute which had led to strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA), a trade union which has been representing senior doctors during the year-long pay dispute - put the offer to its members, with 83% voting in favour.

The pay deal, which includes changes to a doctors' pay review body and a 2.85% uplift for those who have been senior

doctors for four to seven years, comes after senior doctors rejected a previous offer in a narrow vote in January.

Strike action over the last two years has heaped more pressure on the NHS, where more than 7 million patients remain

on waiting lists for hospital treatment, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and procedures.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "The end of consultant strike action in the NHS is excellent news for patients. It will mean we can continue making progress towards our goal of cutting the waiting lists, which have now fallen for the fourth month in a row.

"Consultants perform a vital role at the heart of the NHS - I'm pleased they've accepted this deal, which is fair for them and fair for the taxpayer."

While NHS nurses ended strike action last year following a pay deal, a long-running pay dispute with junior doctors, who

staged a five-day strike in February, remains ongoing.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

Advertisement

You can receive Breaking News alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News App. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.