The BMA's consultants committee and SAS (specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors) committee entered dispute with the Government following last month's announcement of a 4% pay uplift, and wrote to the secretary of state for health and social care Wes Streeting, calling for him to meet for negotiations.

With no reply from Streeting, the BMA will launch indicative ballots of consultants – including those from public health and medical academia - and SAS members on 21 July, asking whether they are willing to take industrial action. The ballots will close on 1 September.

BMA consultants committee co-chairs, Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, said: ‘We've been clear to the Government that we're ready to get around the table and to secure a better outcome for doctors, patients and the public, but with no response, we have no choice but to prepare for the possibility of further action.

‘Our resident colleagues have already launched their ballot, to which we offer them our fully-fledged support. We ask the Government whether it can really risk having several groups of doctors on picket lines together later this year.

‘MPs have just over a month before recess and therefore the Government has a window of opportunity to begin negotiations. If they continue to ignore us, our members will be forced to draw their own conclusions and vote accordingly, with the result of the indicative ballot at the top of MPs' in-trays as soon as they return.'

BMA SAS committee chair, Dr Ujjwala Mohite, added: ‘We've pressed the Government on the importance of reversing this lack of recognition, but we must prepare our members for action if we continue to see no progress. Otherwise, more and more SAS doctors will begin questioning why they should stay working in the NHS.

‘SAS doctors managed to avoid having to join picket lines during recent years' consultants' and resident doctors' action, and we hope they will not have to this time. The ball is in the Government's court.'