Consultants in England plan two-day strike on 25 and 26 November
Consultants in England plan a 48-hour strike on 25 and 26 November, with emergency cover only, unless the government agrees formal talks on pay, working hours and conditions.
How it was covered
- ITV carried 41% of the airtime.
- BBC Two: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- GB News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Senior doctors in England are planning a 48-hour strike on 25 and 26 November, with hospitals set to provide emergency cover only. The British Medical Association announced the action after saying ministers had ignored consultants' concerns about wellbeing and workload. The walkout is due to begin at 7am on 25 November. On strike days, hospitals will be staffed much as they are on Christmas Day, with emergency cover only. Routine operations, scans and outpatient appointments are expected to be postponed, while emergency and urgent care will be covered.
The dispute covers pay, pensions and working conditions. The BMA says consultants' pay has fallen by about a quarter in real terms over the past 17 years. Consultants received a 3.5% pay rise this year, and the government has recommended a 2.4% increase next year. The union says that would still amount to another real-terms cut. Basic pay for consultants starts at more than £113,000 a year, rising to over £150,000 for the most senior, with extra payments and awards on top. The BMA also wants a five-hour reduction in the standard working week, more time for training, better pay for out-of-hours work and reform of pensions. It says these changes are needed to tackle burnout and make the career sustainable.
The government has described the planned strike as disappointing and irresponsible. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said NHS England and the department had been in constructive discussions with the BMA. She said she hoped the union would stay united with the government in supporting staff and patients through a tough winter rather than take action that would put greater pressure on the health service. Government sources say meeting the pay demand could cost £2 billion to £3 billion and is not affordable. NHS leaders and the NHS Alliance, which represents employers, warned the action could leave patients in unnecessary pain, discomfort and inconvenience, and could hit targets for cutting waiting lists.
The BMA says the government has four weeks to avoid the strike. It has said it is willing to continue talks if ministers provide a credible, funded negotiations package. The action would follow the settlement of the long-running dispute with resident doctors earlier this year. Consultants last walked out in 2023. Because much outpatient work and many operations are consultant-led, NHS leaders expect the impact on planned care to be more significant than during the resident doctors' strikes.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Senior doctors in England plan a two-day strike on 25 and 26 November unless the government agrees to formal talks on pay and conditions. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Sky News | ||||
| The British Medical Association said ministers had ignored concerns about doctors' well-being and workload. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | ||
| The health secretary described the strike decision as very disappointing. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | ||
| Only emergency care would be provided on the strike days, with hospitals staffed as on Christmas Day. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| The BMA said consultants' pay had been cut by a quarter over the past 17 years. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| Basic consultant pay starts above £113,000, with the most senior earning over £150,000 plus extra payments and awards. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Consultants last went on strike in 2023. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Government sources said meeting the pay demand could cost £2 billion to £3 billion and would be unaffordable. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The government had recommended a 2.4% pay rise for doctors the previous week, which angered many. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The strike's impact could be greater than the resident doctors' strike because many outpatient appointments and operations are consultant-led. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
A short, straight news summary that leads with the strike threat and the BMA's rationale. It gives the dates and the union's claim that ministers ignored wellbeing and workload concerns, but offers no detail on patient impact, government response or pay figures.
- “Senior doctors in England plan to stage two days of strike action unless the government agrees to hold formal talks on pay-in conditions.”
- “The British Medical Association said consultants would walk out on November 25th and 26th saying ministers had ignored their concerns about well-being and workload.”
ITV1 gave the story detailed treatment across bulletins, with a health correspondent explaining the Christmas Day staffing level, the BMA's demands and the likely effect on waiting lists. It balanced the union's real-terms pay argument against public sympathy questions and the government's £2 billion cost estimate.
- “Consultant doctors in England are planning a two-day strike next month in a dispute over pay and conditions.”
- “on those days, hospitals will be staffed much as they are on Christmas Day with emergency care only.”
- “The health secretary says that taking industrial action just as the NHS is gearing up for yet another busy winter would be irresponsible.”
A brief news item that foregrounds the Health Secretary's response and the government's disappointment. It has less detail on the strike's impact or the BMA's full list of demands, and moves quickly to unrelated political news.
- “Senior doctors in England are planning to strike for two days next month over pay and working conditions.”
- “The British Medical Association's accused the government of ignoring concerns around wellbeing and workload.”
- “I hope the BMA will stay united with us in that effort and not take irresponsible action that would place our health service under even greater pressure at this crucial time.”
An explanatory segment that sets the consultants' dispute in the context of the recently settled resident doctors' row. It stresses that emergency and urgent care will be protected, while routine operations and appointments will be hit, and gives prominent space to the £2 billion to £3 billion cost claim.
- “They say that their strikes will not affect emergency care or urgent care, but it will affect thousands of routine operations and scans and appointments, etc.”
- “Government sources are saying that if this pay demand is met, it could be two to three billion pounds and that just is not affordable”
- “We are very willing and open to continue with talks with government so long as we are provided with a credible and funded negotiations package.”
A conversational explainer built around why consultants feel pushed into action. It focuses on burnout, working hours and the real-terms pay fall, while also noting public sympathy concerns and the chance the strike could still be called off.
- “The British Medical Association says senior doctors' pay has actually fallen by around a quarter in real terms over the past 17 years.”
- “What we're seeking is a package of changes to improve consultants' working lives, which relate to the duration of a standard working week.”
- “The walkout will begin at 7am on the 25th of November, with consultants providing emergency cover only.”
The BBC's regional bulletin gives a detailed pay breakdown and warns that the impact could be worse than the resident doctors' strikes because so much planned work is consultant-led. It also carries the Health Secretary's criticism and the BMA's argument about real-terms pay erosion.
- “Basic pay for consultant doctors in England starts at more than £113,000 a year, with the most senior earning over £150,000 a year and more in extra payments and awards.”
- “A lot of outpatient appointment and operations are consultant-led, consultant-delivered, so the impact is going to be more significant than the resident doctor's strike.”
- “The 48-hour walkout will begin on November the 25th with consultants providing only emergency cover.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 15:23 GMT
- 18:17 GMT
- 18:17 GMT
Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary
BBC News · Mon 26 Oct - 18:18 GMT
- 18:44 GMT
- 15:13 GMT
Ed Cooper, health secretary
Sky News Today with Jayne Secker · Mon 26 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.