The BMA said the changes mean the review body can no longer ignore the historical and economic evidence that details how doctors have seen a real-time decrease in pay since 2008. Credit: Shutterstock / Zeynep Demir Aslim.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has announced that consultant doctors have struck a pay deal with the government to end some ongoing strike action that has brought the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to a standstill.

In a statement published on 5 April, the BMA confirmed that its senior consultant members have voted 83% in favour of accepting the deal that will see pay scales increased in hopes of battling inflation, with a 2.85% (£3,000) consolidated uplift for those who have been consultants between four and seven years.

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At the same time, the deal comes with changes to the independent Doctors’ and Dentists’ Pay Review Body (DDRB) changing how members of the body are appointed and barring the government from constraining its remit regarding inflation targets and economic evidence.

In a statement, the BMA said the changes mean the review body can no longer ignore the historical and economic evidence that details how doctors have seen a real-time decrease in pay since 2008, with pay increases failing to keep up with the rate of inflation. The BMA has also said it hopes the changes will address the number of doctors leaving the UK for better options abroad.

However, the BMA has said that its fight continues, with junior doctors yet to agree to a pay deal with the government, and it remains to be seen how the newly unrestricted DDRB proceeds.

BMA Committee chair Vishal Sharma said: “The last year has seen consultants take unprecedented strike action in our fight to address our concerns about pay and how the supposedly independent pay review process was operating.

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“After years of repeated real-term pay cuts, caused by government interference and a failure of the pay review process, consultants have spoken and now clearly feel that this offer is enough of a first step to address our concerns to end the current dispute.

“However, it’s now imperative that the DDRB utilises its independence to restore doctors’ pay and prevent any further disputes from arising.”

This news follows after a year of unprecedented healthcare strikes across the UK that have hit nearly all areas of the workforce, from midwives in Northern Ireland to the first-ever joint walk-out between junior doctors and senior consultants.