Consultant Strike Ballot Closes 6 July - Act Before Disruption

The BMA is balloting consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors in England for strike action, with voting closing on 6 July 2026. If members vote yes, strikes could begin within days, potentially hitting NHS elective services across England at a time when the waiting list still stands at around 7.1 million. Consultants lead the majority of planned surgical procedures and outpatient clinics, so a consultant strike would be felt differently from previous resident doctor walkouts. This is a separate dispute from the resident doctors' pay settlement accepted on 29 June. Consultants and SAS doctors say their real-terms pay has fallen around 26% since 2008/09, according to the BMA, and they regard the government's 3.5% award for 2026/27 as making no progress toward reversing that erosion.

Why This Strike Would Hit Elective Waiting Lists Hard

Consultants perform the majority of complex elective procedures - orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology clinics, cardiac investigations, gynaecology operations, gastroscopies, and cancer follow-ups. During a consultant strike, routine and elective work is typically cancelled while emergency cover is maintained under a "Christmas Day" rota. For a waiting list that NHS England has been reducing month on month, a sustained consultant dispute could reverse several months of progress. The BMA ballot covers England only; consultants and SAS doctors in Northern Ireland took a 24-hour strike on 24 June 2026 in a parallel dispute.

What This Means for Patients

If the ballot returns a yes vote, patients on elective waiting lists could face further appointment cancellations from mid-July. The most effective protection is to act before strike dates are announced. Under NHS Right to Choose, you can ask your GP to re-refer you to any NHS trust or NHS-commissioned independent provider. Private sector providers commissioned by the NHS - such as Spire, Ramsay, and CHEC - may be less affected by NHS consultant action and could offer significantly shorter waits. Securing a re-referral now locks in your position at a better-performing trust before any disruption begins.

How to Find a Shorter Wait Now

Search hospitals by specialty and postcode to compare waiting times across trusts today, while the ballot result is still pending. The 6 July deadline means there is limited time to act before the outcome is known.