Senior doctors plan 48-hour strike for July in England

Hospital consultants who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) in England will go on strike on 20 and 21 July if medics vote for action.

The 48-hour walkout will affect routine services, but emergency care will be covered after the BMA promised to provide a Christmas Day level of cover.

The result of the ballot is due on 27 June, but the BMA said it wanted to give the NHS notice of the strike.

The union called the ballot over what it said was repeated pay cuts.

Pay has fallen by 27% since 2008 once inflation is taken into account, the BMA said.

Unlike the junior doctors, who will be involved in the third walkout of their pay dispute next week, consultants are not asking for full pay restoration in one go.

Instead, they want to see the government to start at least giving pay rises that match inflation.

Last year they received a 4.5% pay increase - less than half the rate of RPI inflation in the 12 months to March.

Consultants' basic salaries range from below £90,000 to £120,000.

On average, consultants make nearly £30,000 a year in extra earnings through working additional hours and from other supplements.

If senior doctors were to walk out, it would be the first strike by consultants since the 1970s.

Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chairman, said: "Strike action is not inevitable and it is well within the government's gift to present us with a reasonable offer that would stop industrial action in its tracks.

"But if this isn't forthcoming, we are committed to action that is effective and that is safe.

"As the most senior and experienced doctors working in hospitals, no-one can cover for consultants - and that's why we're giving our members, our colleagues and employers lengthy time to prepare, even ahead of our ballot closing.

"That way they can manage their lists and prioritise those patients most in need of care."