Consultants would call off strike for 12.4% NHS pay deal

The upcoming action could be averted if consultants received the same offer as junior doctors in Scotland

NHS consultants in England will call off two days of hugely disruptive strike action in hospitals if they are offered the same inflation plus pay deal made to junior doctors in Scotland, the Observer can reveal.

In a significant move that puts further pressure on ministers before strikes by junior doctors and consultants south of the border in the coming days, a senior British Medical Association figure said that a 12.4% offer - and commitment to reform the annual pay review process - would be enough to halt the consultant strikes, which are set to take place on 20 and 21 July.