Senior doctors to stage first strike in a decade

A 48-hour onslaught by elder infirmary doctors successful England volition get nether mode aboriginal connected Thursday, with NHS bosses informing of terrible disruption.

Thousands of consultants volition walkout from 07:00 BST successful a quality implicit pay.

It volition beryllium the archetypal clip consultants person taken portion successful onslaught enactment since 2012.

Only exigency attraction and a tiny magnitude of regular work- alleged Christmas Day screen - volition beryllium provided.

It comes conscionable 2 days aft a five-day walkout by inferior doctors came to an end, connected Tuesday.

NHS England said that the timing of the concern enactment had near hospitals with small clip to recover, claiming the senior-doctor walkout would person the astir terrible interaction of immoderate onslaught enactment truthful acold this year.

Thousands of planned appointments person been postponed.

Consultants volition halt seeing galore patients and volition not beryllium astir to supervise the enactment of inferior doctors.

British Medical Association consultants' committee chair, Dr Vishal Sharma, said members were "angry" and astatine "rock bottom" acknowledgment to years of below-inflation wage rises.

"We are under-valued and over-worked. This authorities is failing america and failing patients."

But Health Secretary Steve Barclay urged the assemblage to extremity the dispute.

He said the authorities had listened to their concerns, by expanding the magnitude that tin beryllium paid straight into pension pots tax-free, arsenic good arsenic accepting the recommendations of the autarkic wage reappraisal assemblage and giving consultants a 6% wage emergence this year.

He stressed it was the government's "final offer", adding: "It is present clip to enactment patients first."

On the onslaught days, radical should usage 999 successful life-threatening emergencies, and NHS 111 online for different wellness concerns.

GP services and pharmacies tin besides beryllium accessed successful the mean way.

Those not told their appointments person been postponed should be arsenic normal.

The 6% wage summation means basal wage starts astatine £93,666 - with the astir experienced consultants receiving much than £126,000 a twelvemonth - but to scope that wage takes, connected average, 19 years successful the role.

However, the mean NHS advisor earns astir 30% much than their stated wage - astir fractional of this is for moving further hours, with the remainder made up of different allowances - including a bonus strategy known arsenic objective excellence awards.

They tin besides beryllium paid additionally for backstage enactment - but not each bash it.

Yes, but depending connected what measurement is utilized the standard of the chopped successful wage varies.

The BMA uses the RPI measurement of inflation, which shows, since 2008, wage has fallen by 27%.

Once changes to taxation and pensions implicit this play are factored in, the shortfall successful take-home wage is 35%, the BMA says.

But enactment by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, utilizing different measures of inflation, shows the autumn since 2010 is astir 17%.

This driblet successful wage is greater than astir different NHS workers, specified arsenic nurses, ambulance unit and estates staff, with lower-paid unit prioritised for the biggest wage rises.

The BMA said it means consultants person seen their wage eroded erstwhile compared to professions specified arsenic law, accountancy, fiscal services and engineering.

Unlike the junior-doctors' dispute, consultants are not asking for afloat wage restoration successful 1 uplift.

Instead, they privation the authorities to commencement giving wage rises that astatine slightest lucifer inflation.

Consultants program much concern action, connected 24 and 25 August, unless a wage woody is agreed.