Junior doctors Lengthy dispute nears end as leaders agree 22% pay increase

Junior doctors' leaders in England have agreed a new pay deal with the government, which could lead to their wages rising by 22.3% over two years.

- Andrew Gregory

The agreement comes after 44 days of strikes since junior doctors first took industrial action in March 2023 in pursuit of a 35% pay rise. Stoppages by staff across the NHS since December 2022 have led to the postponement of 1.5m appointments, procedures and operations at an estimated cost of more than £3bn.

The British Medical Associa tion's junior doctors committee has accepted an offer of an average rise of 22.3% over 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Guardian understands.

During a meeting on Saturday, the committee agreed to put the offer to its members, according to a source.

If accepted, it will end the industrial action. Tens of thousands of members will now vote on the deal.

If accepted, the offer will deliver an additional pay rise of between 3.71% and 5.05%, averaging 4.05%, on top of the existing 8.8% average pay award for 2023-24. This will be backdated to April 2023.

Ministers are also accepting the recommendations of the review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration for 2024-25. It will uplift each part of the pay scale by 6%, plus £1,000 on a consolidated basis, averaging an increase of more than 8%.

This will be backdated to April 2024.