At a glance: Consultants' contract

Consultants backed the deal last year

Consultants across the UK voted in favour of a new contract last year, after initially rejecting a deal.

BBC News Online outlines the main elements of the contract.

A new starting salary of £63,000 up from £52,640 at present

At the top end of the scale, salaries will rise from £68,505 to £85,000

Pay rises range from 9% for some consultants to as much as 24% for others depending on age and experience

Working week will be 40 hours per week made up of 10 four hour sessions

Extra money for working evenings and weekends

Protected time for non-clinical work such as paperwork and other activities.

No ban on private practice as originally proposed, but there will be some restrictions

Consultants must offer to work an extra four hours a week for the NHS before they can treat patients privately