Senior doctors in England are poised to cast their votes on an improved pay offer, potentially bringing an end to months of disruptive strike activities, as announced by their trade union on

Tuesday. This development follows the narrow rejection of a previous government offer in January.

The revised offer entails a 2.85% increase for senior doctors with four to seven years of experience and introduces alterations to the remit and appointment process of a pay review body, according to the British Medical Association (BMA), which is urging its members to endorse the proposal.

Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee, expressed confidence in the progress made during negotiations with the government, prompting the recommendation to accept the offer and resolve the ongoing pay dispute, thereby averting further industrial action.

Consultants, colloquially referred to as senior doctors, will have the opportunity to vote on the new offer from March 14 to April 3.

The series of strikes by doctors has exacerbated the strain on the National Health Service (NHS), already grappling with overwhelming demands, resulting in numerous cancelled appointments and procedures for the millions of patients awaiting treatment. Meanwhile, a separate pay disagreement persists among junior doctors, who staged a five-day strike last month. Photo by ReelNews, Wikimedia commons.