England consultants vote for strike action over pay and pensions

England’s consultants have voted for strike action over pay and pensions, giving the British Medical Association a 12-month mandate after 76% of those who voted backed industrial action. The ballot closed on Monday, 6 July 2026, and 18,069 of 35,067 eligible consultants took part, with almost 14,000 saying they would be prepared to strike.

Resident doctors in England accepted a pay deal with the government after three years of strikes, but consultants now have the scope to add fresh disruption across hospitals, where senior doctors carry responsibility for complex care, supervision and many of the decisions that keep services moving.

The dispute is over pay and pensions, and consultants committee co-chairs Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta said consultants were not willing to tolerate continuing attacks on pay and professional value. An independent survey found 84% of people were concerned about the future of the NHS if the country lost senior doctors, with burnout, excessive workload and repeated cuts to pay and recognition named as the main reasons for public support for action.

Consultants in England last walked out between July and October 2023, including two strikes coordinated with resident doctors. On 31 March 2026, the BMA announced simultaneous ballots of consultants and SAS doctors in England would run from 11 May to 6 July. NHS Employers' indicative ballot on 4 September 2025 showed 67% of consultants and 82% of SAS doctors in England in favour of industrial action.

Ministers say there is no case for strike action because consultants are among the highest-paid public sector workers and among the top 2% of earners in the country.