DOCTORS have ended their strike action and the long-running pay dispute in Wales as they today overwhelmingly backed a pay deal with Welsh Government.

Consultants, SAS doctors and junior doctors across Wales accepted respective pay offers for 2023-24, which were negotiated between the Welsh Labour Government and BMA Cymru Wales.

The pay awards will now be implemented as soon as possible.

Welsh First Minister, Vaughan Gething said: “We value all our NHS staff in Wales – they are the beating heart of the health service.

"We have listened to doctors and negotiated a deal which brings an end to strikes in Wales and ensures doctors are back at work.

“Doctors all over Wales – like our wider NHS workforce – carry out amazing work every day. I’m incredibly grateful to them for their hard work in the face of significant pressures and demands.”

Welsh Health Secretary, Eluned Morgan said: “I’m very pleased consultants, junior and SAS doctors in Wales have voted to accept our pay offer for 2023-24 and we can end the strikes in Wales, which have been so disruptive to patient care.

“Despite the most severe financial situation we’ve faced in the devolution era, we have worked hard to negotiate an end to this dispute. It means all our efforts are now focused on ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes for people in Wales."

Dr Oba Babs-Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey, co-chairs of the BMA’s Welsh junior doctors committee, said: “This pay deal and the emphatic vote by members to accept it shows how far we have come on our journey to fight for the future of our profession. For too long, junior doctors have been undervalued.

“We chose to stand up and be counted, refusing to accept further cuts to our pay.

“While we are pleased with the progress we have made, the fight for full pay restoration is far from over.”

Dr Stephen Kelly, chairman of BMA Cymru Wales’s consultants committee, said: “We’re pleased to have been able to reach a fairer settlement for senior doctors in Wales and we hope that this significant offer will help to retain the doctors currently working in Wales as well as attracting more, which will ultimately be beneficial for patients.”

Dr Ali Nazir, chair of BMA Cymru Wales’s SAS doctor committee, said: “For far too long the invaluable contribution of SAS doctors in Wales has been disregarded and so reaching a fairer deal for this experienced part of the workforce is very much welcomed. We will continue to fight for the rights of SAS doctors.”

The announcement came as junior doctors in England continue a five-day strike in a separate pay dispute.