BMA News

In the ballot that closed on 6 July, consultants voted in favour of industrial action. Of 35,067 eligible members, 18,069 (51.53%) voted: Yes - 13,695 (75.81%) No - 4,369 (24.19%) Thank you to all of you who returned your ballot. This result demonstrated the strength of feeling among consultants: we need significant improvements to our working lives and that includes an end to pay erosion.

From the first weeks of the new UK government, it is clear that improving health and reforming social care are priorities for Andy Burnham. Given some evidence of population health benefit associated with devolution in Greater Manchester (1,2) and the sizeable contribution made to health outcomes by social and economic determinants, the question being asked is whether further devolution of power can support delivery of the Government’s health ambitions (3,4,5).

Responding to the Scottish Government announcement on pay, in a joint statement, chairs of BMA Scotland's Consultants and SAS committee, Dr Joanna Bredski and Dr Sine Steele, said: "The imposition announced by the Scottish Government is both deeply disappointing and extremely concerning for the future of the profession and the NHS.

Responding to the GMC's 2026 "State of medical education and practice in the UK: Workplace experiences" report, Dr Amit Kochhar, representative body chair at the BMA, said: "This report makes for concerning reading. The limited gains in job satisfaction for doctors over the last two years have been wiped out: it is not difficult to see why.

The BMA has welcomed the arrival of the first tranche of training jobs for resident doctors following this year’s deal with Government, while warning that much more needs to be done. More than 350 new jobs, which opened for application today, are the first in a promised 4,500 that resulted from the deal that ended resident doctors’ industrial action this summer.

The association has commended the Government for moving in the right direction after more than 350 jobs today [10 August] opened to applications. The posts represent the first wave of 1,000 new jobs that are set to be introduced by August 2027, with this initial tranche exceeding the 250 that had originally been pledged.

Early last month I chaired a webinar co-hosted with GHP (Global Health Partnerships) on the continuing attacks on healthcare in Myanmar since the military coup in 2021. Our aim was not only to highlight the persecution of healthcare workers but also to recognise their extraordinary resilience and commitment to caring for patients despite immense personal risk. The webinar left me with much to reflect on. For those who couldn’t join us, here are some moments that stayed with me.

As newly-qualifed doctors across England start their first hospital job today, 200 doctors will begin pilot programmes across different stages of training. It’s hoped that these pilots will help reform the “absurd” current “rotation” system that moves them between hospitals several times a year. While rotations can ensure early-career doctors gain diverse experience, the waste and disruption caused by the current system has become an exhausting burden on resident doctors and the wider NHS.

In the time since we balloted our consultant members in England for industrial action — 76 per cent of those who voted said YES — the Government has cycled through three health secretaries. In politics, change can happen overnight, as we have seen, and it is only right that each new minister has a chance to get their feet under the table. However, our patience can only last so long. The Government is well aware of our issues and the broader challenges the NHS faces.

The BMA is urging patients and GP practices in England to get behind a campaign to save general practice by raising the issues they see facing their own surgeries with their local MPs. In recognition of the frustration patients can feel with access to their GP, the BMA GPs committee for England (GPCE) is urging patients to sign a newly launched change.org petition that calls for more investment in the profession and the hiring of more GPs to deliver vital care.