NHS strikes: What is happening to consultants’ pay?

Published

2 years ago

July 20, 2023

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As consultant doctors walk out for 48 hours, Sky News analysis has found that their real terms annual earnings have fallen by 15% since 2010.

The NHS Confederation has said the consultants’ strike is a “step into the unknown” – and it feels like that in terms of the statistics used by both sides to make their case. The British Medical Association and the government each have their own favourite figures.

Let’s start with the real terms pay cut. The BMA says that, because inflation has risen faster than pay, consultants have seen their real take-home pay fall by 35% over the past 14 years.

But the BMA is using the Retail Price Index (RPI) to calculate this. The problem is that it’s not how we measure inflation – the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recommends using the consumer price index – CPI – instead. That’s the measure you see when we talk about inflation on Sky News.

And if you use the CPI to chart consultants’ earnings, they haven’t fallen by quite that much – it’s a 15% decrease since 2010.

But that’s still a big decrease, especially when you compare it to the public and private sector averages.

It’s also worth noting that 2010 was a relative high point for consultants’ pay.

Billy Palmer, senior fellow in health policy at the Nuffield Trust, told Sky News: “People typically use 2010 as a baseline, but in fact that was a fairly high point in the somewhat cyclical nature of consultants’ pay. If you look back over a longer period, three decades for example, consultants have actually received a pay rise.”

What about the amount of pay itself?

You might think this should be uncontroversial enough but again, both sides prefer different data.

Tom Dolphin, a consultant and a member of the BMA council, spoke to Sky’s Kay Burley on Thursday morning and referred to the starting basic pay of a consultant – £88,364.

But any pay rise would be applied to all doctors so we should probably use the average basic pay instead, which is £97,406. And if you compared basic pay to 2010, it’s clear that doctors are being paid less.

And basic pay has fallen more in England than in Scotland across all levels of experience.

While a consultant in England working for 10 years would receive a basic pay of around £105,996 in the 2022/23 year, a consultant in Scotland would get £108,345.

In comparison to 2010/11 (adjusted for inflation) this means consultants in England see a bigger decrease in basic pay – 14% compared to 12% in Scotland.

That figure, though, is still some way away from the figure the government likes to quote, that the average annual salary last year was £127,228. That includes non-basic pay: things like working beyond contracted hours (£14,566), medical awards such as the clinical excellence award (£6,028) and money received for being on call (£2,882).

The government likes this higher number – it’s nearly four times the average UK annual salary – but it’s also not an unfair statistic to choose.

The government also likes to mention its offer of a 6% increase in pay for NHS staff consultants, which might sound relatively generous.

But again, if you use CPI forecasts for next year, this would increase doctors’ annual earnings by only 1% in the year ending March 2024 – still far short of that actual 15% decrease since 2010.

Comparisons to other countries and professions

Dr Dolphin also mentioned that consultants were being tempted by job offers from countries where the weather is sunnier and the wages are higher.

Some of the comparisons here are a bit trickier because of different definitions and data.

We’ll start in the UK and compare how “specialist medical practitioners”, which would include consultants as defined by the ONS, compared to other categories in the professional occupations category.

And they compare very, very well – a median gross annual income of £68,614 in April 2022. That’s 3% more than headteachers and nearly three-fifths higher than aerospace engineers.

So specialists are top of the league at home. Abroad, though, they’re mid-table.

Consultants in the UK rank moderately in terms of earnings on a global scale.

The OECD puts a UK medical specialist’s earnings at $155,418 (we’re using dollars now for ease of comparison). This is nearly a third higher than a consultant in France but around a quarter lower than in South Korea.

Private pay and extra work

One last issue to think about. We’ve been talking about consultants’ pay from the NHS. But they’re also free to do work privately. Unfortunately, we don’t know how much they earn on average from this. (We couldn’t find any reliable data – if you have some, let us know!)

The BMA has said that any striking doctors “should not schedule any other work, including in private practice, when they are taking part in industrial action”.

However, there’s nothing stopping them legally.

And consultants may have also benefitted from their junior doctor colleagues striking. “It appears that the medical pay bill has increased over strike periods. So some doctors are demanding and receiving large amounts to cover a shift,” Mr Palmer told Sky News.

“But in that context, there doesn’t seem to be as much of a financial friction as there would be in maybe some other services and professions about going on strike for some staff,” he added.

To sum it up: consultants have high salaries compared to the UK average; they may have earned more money during other BMA strikes and they may – if they choose to – work privately during strikes. That gives them more financial resilience than other occupations: a train driver can’t really drive a private train on a strike day.

Coupled with that very real 15% drop in wages, they could be prepared to wait a long time for a better offer.

The Data and Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

UK

UK ‘to be hotter than Barbados’ with temperatures set to hit a record-breaking 34C

Published

2 hours ago

June 30, 2025

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UK 'to be hotter than Barbados' with temperatures set to hit a record-breaking 34C

The UK could see one of the hottest June days on record today, with temperatures reaching a scorching 34C.

Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6C, recorded on 28 June 1976.

It will be the fourth day of a heatwave for much of England, which is forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico.

Wimbledon is set for its hottest ever opening day, with temperatures expected to beat the previous record of 29.3C set on 25 June 2001. The hottest day of the tournament was seen on 1 July 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7C.

Find out the latest weather forecast

It could also be a tropical night, with parts of England staying above 20C overnight into Tuesday, the Met Office said.

On Tuesday parts of southeast England could hit 35C, though Scotland and Northern Ireland face heavy rain and cooler temperatures.

An amber heat health alert came into force on Friday – the second in two weeks.

The alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, the South East, and the East of England, lasts until 6pm on Tuesday.

The UK Health Security Agency also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and the Humber and the West Midlands for the same period – warning of significant impacts on health and social care services.

An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on 19 June, the first time it had been used since September 2023.

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature between 25-28C for three consecutive days. The threshold varies across the UK.

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said London “is already facing its second heatwave of the year” and warned “high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe”.

He said firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital so far this year and said it is “important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring”.

“As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly,” he said. “In London, this can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.”

It comes after major heatwaves across southern Europe left Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece in sweltering conditions of more than 40C over the weekend.

Temperatures were well above average in parts of southern Spain, with 46.8C recorded in Tresviso.

Two-thirds of Portugal was on high alert for extreme heat and wildfires, while several Italian regions banned outdoor work during peak hours of sun on Sunday.

The Italian health ministry also placed 21 out of 27 monitored cities under its highest heat alert, including top tourist spots Rome, Milan and Naples.

Greece was on high wildfire alert because of the extreme weather, after a large wildfire broke out south of Athens on Thursday, which was fanned by strong winds and damaged several houses.

UK

Dozens of MPs call on Starmer to ‘urgently’ establish Ukraine-style visa for Gazans

Published

4 hours ago

June 30, 2025

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Dozens of MPs call on Starmer to 'urgently' establish Ukraine-style visa for Gazans

Dozens of MPs have called on Sir Keir Starmer to “urgently” establish a Ukraine-style visa to allow Gazans with family in the UK to come to Britain.

In a letter seen exclusively by Sky News, the 67 MPs and Lords from across the political spectrum, have asked the prime minister and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to create a “Gaza Family Scheme” to “reunite [Palestinians] with their loved ones in the UK until it is safe to return”.

“Just as the UK opened its doors to those fleeing persecution in Ukraine and Hong Kong, we believe that the same generosity should be extended to Palestinian families,” the letter says.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the UK opened up the Ukraine Family Scheme allowing Ukrainian nationals to join family members in the UK and live, work and study in the UK for up to three years. Applications closed in February 2024.

Two years before, the UK opened the British National (Overseas) visa to allow Hong Kongers fleeing after a strict national security law was imposed by China to live in the UK for five years then apply for British citizenship.

The letter, sent to the PM on Sunday evening, has been signed by 35 Labour MPs and House of Lords members, including Marsha de Cordova, Clive Lewis, Stella Creasy, Richard Burgon, Kim Johnson, Afzal Khan, Rachael Maskell, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Andy Slaughter and Alex Sobel.

Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell are among a handful of former Labour MPs suspended from the party last year to sign the letter, as are all four Green MPs, Lib Dem MPs Tim Farron and Layla Moran, several Northern Ireland MPs and SNP MPs Graham Leadbitter and Brendan O’Hara.

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Dr Guli Francis-Dehquani, has also signed the letter.

Only one Conservative, former special adviser to William Hague, Baroness Helic, signed it.

In the letter, the politicians express their “grave concern at the immense suffering inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza”.

They accuse Israel of “shattering the temporary ceasefire agreement”, weaponising starvation, and intensifying its “campaign of bombardment and military assaults, and targeting of people accessing humanitarian aid”.

Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, who helped organise the letter with the Gaza Families Reunited campaign, told Sky News: “The Ukrainian Family Visa Scheme was the right response to a brutal war.

“Establishing a Gaza Family Visa Scheme would be an extension of those same principles, showing that this government is steadfast in its commitment to helping families experiencing the worst horrors of war.

“It is time for the government to act now to help British Palestinians get their loved ones to safety, enabling them to rebuild their lives.”

The MPs also say in the letter that since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage, at least 53,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and “the real death toll is likely to be exponentially higher”.

They say a Gaza Family Scheme would allow Palestinians in Gaza to reunite with their families – “people they may never see again unless urgent action is taken”.

The MPs say many Gazans who have attempted to come to the UK have “struggled to navigate the immigration system”, especially as they are required to provide biometrics to apply for a visa but that is “impossible due to the destruction of the visa application centre in Gaza and blockade of the Rafah crossing”.

They say there are a lack of safe zones or ways out of Gaza and some have constituents with family members who have fled Gaza to Egypt but “are stuck in limbo, with no access to schools or healthcare to begin the process of rebuilding their lives”.

The letter adds that it would be a “vital step” towards addressing the UK government’s “historical, present, and ongoing responsibility towards Palestinians in Gaza” and the UK has a “duty to take all necessary steps to hold Israel to account for its crimes”.

Ghassan Ghaban, spokesperson for Gaza Families Reunited, said “family unity is an undeniable human right” and said Labour in opposition urged the Conservative government to do more to help British Palestinians get their relatives to safety.

“We are still waiting for the new government to do the right thing,” he said.

“We, as Palestinians in the UK, simply want the opportunity to bring our loved ones from Gaza to safety, until it is safe to return.

“The UK welcomed those fleeing war and persecution in Ukraine and Hong Kong with open arms. All we are asking for is the same treatment to be extended to our family members who have experienced unimaginable trauma as a result of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

He added there is “only a small number of Palestinians in the UK”, and an even smaller number with family members in Gaza.

A government spokesperson said: “The death and destruction in Gaza is intolerable.

“Since day one, we have been clear that we need to see an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages cruelly detained by Hamas, better protection of civilians, significantly more aid consistently entering Gaza, and a path to long-term peace and stability.

“There are a range of routes available for Palestinians who wish to join family members in the UK.”

UK

From Brazil to Westminster: How health pilot is proving a force for good for patients and the NHS

Published

5 hours ago

June 30, 2025

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From Brazil to Westminster: How health pilot is proving a force for good for patients and the NHS

Jessica Ellis is a Chewie. She’s not from a galaxy far, far away but here, right now, working in one of our most deprived communities. To the people she helps, she is a force for good.

We are standing in front of a large block of council flats in Westminster, central London. The entrycom buzzes.

“Hi Mrs Dikir, how are you?” Jessica asks. And then “thank you” as we’re let in and make our way up five flights of stairs.

Inside the flat, in the living room, Mr Jaber Dikir sits on a soft, plush armchair. It has to be comfortable because Mr Dikir spends most of his days sitting here.

“I have a heart problem, I have open heart surgery and now I have heart failure,” Mr Dikir explains. “I have water in my chest and that gives me big trouble to sleep, to breathe,” he adds as he begins to wheeze.

I ask Mr Jaber how Jessica has been able to help him.

“She hears you, she listens to you,” he replies. “She understands everything. She even called the doctor and he gave me permission to stay at home (for my blood tests). That’s really appreciated. I couldn’t walk properly, I couldn’t go to the clinic.”

Jessica is a community health and wellbeing worker (CHWWs). That’s where the nickname comes from.

CHWWs work in small teams, going door to door in some of the most deprived areas of the country.

It’s part of an NHS pilot inspired by a successful programme in Brazil.

A simple but effective intervention

Jessica says her role is “to make life easier”. Mr Dakir, she tells me, is struggling with his mobility. So is organising a designated disabled bay.

“Mr Dakir is struggling to get out to his appointments, and the GP needs a blood test from him. So I was able to speak to the GP and he’s been labelled as temporarily housebound so the district nursing team can come in now and take the bloods for him at home.”

A simple but effective intervention that has a huge impact on Mr Dakir and the NHS.

The project is currently being used in 15 neighbourhoods around the country. In Westminster, there has been a 7% drop in A&E admissions and an 11% reduction in hospital admissions year on year.

There has also been a 47% increase in the likelihood of households having vaccinations, an 82% increase in cancer screenings and a 7.3% drop in unscheduled GP consultations.

Taking community care right to the patient’s door

Dr Melinda Creme is a local GP. Jessica acts as a conduit between Dr Creme and her patients.

“We need to look at the costs of what might happen downstream if disease is not picked up earlier, if health inequalities are not addressed sooner, and so there should be potential huge savings down the line.

“It might take five years, 10 years to make a difference and that’s the issue, because obviously governments change within that time.

“But if there’s a long-term lens on this, then we stand a chance of being able to afford a health service free at the point of delivery.”

This is exactly what the government wants, what the NHS wants, to bring care into the community. With this project, they are taking community care right to the patient’s door.

Dr Creme says the days when people would go to their GP and expect their family doctor to look after anybody and everybody about everything are gone.

“We can’t possibly do that. We’re not equipped to do that because the population is expanding and we cannot address all needs.”

Labour’s 10-year health plan set for launch

The government is expected to focus on personalised and community care in its 10-year health plan when it is published on Thursday.

It will look to ease pressure on buckling emergency departments and models like this have shown early signs of good results, but they require time and investment.

Projects like this can help ease the strain on services facing record pressures and tight budgets. They could be a significant part of a wider NHS plan.