Key facts
- Consultant doctors in England paused a two-day strike that had been planned for November 25 and 26.
- Health minister Karin Smyth said consultants planning the walkout would not be paid more money.
- Smyth said the secretary of state met the BMA committee the week before and discussions on working lives were under way.
- During the planned strike, consultants were to provide a Christmas Day-style service, with emergency care still covered.
Consultant doctors in NHS hospitals in England have paused a two-day strike that had been planned for November 25 and 26 in a dispute over pay and conditions, according to a report published on November 11, 2026.
Health minister Karin Smyth said consultants who were planning the walkout would not be paid more money. She said the strikes come as the NHS braces for a "difficult winter" and urged the British Medical Association to call them off.
Smyth told Times Radio that the secretary of state met the BMA committee the week before and that work with the committee was focused on improving consultants' working lives so they are retained. During the planned strike, consultants were to provide a Christmas Day-style service, with emergency care still covered.