NHS Consultants in England Announce Two-Day Strike for 25-26 November 2026 Over Pay Restoration and Working Hours
What happened
Senior NHS hospital doctors in England will stage a 48-hour walkout from 25 to 27 November 2026, offering emergency-only cover following a protracted dispute over real-terms pay and working hours.
The Context
- The core dispute: The British Medical Association cites a 25% real-terms decline in consultant earnings since 2009-10 alongside burnout, seeking a shift from a 40-hour to a 35-hour standard working week.
- The government offer: Formal evidence submitted for the 2027/28 review cycle proposed a 2.4% salary uplift, which union representatives rejected as insufficient after prior awards averaged £25,000.
- The system strain: The industrial action will revert hospital staffing to Christmas Day emergency levels, intensifying pressure on an existing elective care backlog exceeding 6 million patients.
The Number
— the share of voting consultants who backed the strike action, signaling decisive collective alignment across England's senior medical workforce despite turnout hovering just above the 50% threshold.
Takeaway
Watch for last-minute Department of Health negotiations before mid-November, as formal talks represent the only pathway to averting widespread winter service cancellations.
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