News / Strike
Senior doctors begin 48-hour strike over pay
Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists have embarked on a two-day strike amid an ongoing row over pay and working conditions.
Dozens of British Medical Association (BMA) members from across Bristol and the South West came together outside Bristol Royal Infirmary on Thursday, donning orange hats and holding placards.
The BMA said that take-home pay for consultants – senior doctors who have overall responsibility for the care of patients in hospitals – has fallen by 35 per cent since 2008.
is needed now More than ever
It is the first time consultants have taken part in strike action in more than a decade.
Health secretary Steve Barclay urged the profession to end the dispute and the government has offered a six per cent pay rise.
Consultant doctors and hospital-based dentists have embarked on a two-day strike
Picketing at the BRI was Rudi Matull, a consultant who works in Taunton. He told Bristol24/7 about “a deep sense of frustration” among his colleagues.
“Without consultants, the NHS can’t function,” Matull said.
“But we are not being given support structures to function well.
“Things like printers don’t work, which sounds petty but without a label printer you can’t have blood.”
The 6 per cent per cent pay increase means basic pay starts at £93,666 – with the most experienced consultants receiving more than £126,000 a year – but to reach that salary takes, on average, 19 years in the role.
Matull added: “We are aware our base pay is high, but we think we are worth it when you consider the amount of time we spend to get where we are, and the responsibility and accountability we have.”
Consultants strike for the first time in 50 years! Doctors in Bristol this morning were joined by colleagues from across the region. @BMA_Consultants pic.twitter.com/fUhhypqpWA
— BMA South West (@SouthWestBMA) July 20, 2023
Barclay has insisted that his offer of a six per cent pay rise to junior doctors and consultants was “final”.
He said: “My door is always open to discuss non-pay issues, but this pay award is final so I urge the BMA to end their strikes immediately.”
In response, regional coordination for BMA South West Abigail Moore said: “Consultants work their socks off.
“You rarely meet a doctor who works less than 50 hours a week.
“We aren’t expecting the world, but you can’t have a negation where you say take it or leave it.
“How is that a way to treat a professional workforce that saves people’s lives every day?”
Consultants plan more industrial action, on 24 and 25 August, unless a pay deal is agreed.
All photos: Betty Woolerton
Read next:
- ‘Steady fall’ in Bristol patients able to access an NHS dentist
- Junior doctors march through Bristol to fight for 35% pay rise
- Bristol Waste bin strike called off as pay deal reached
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