Tomorrow, 44 per cent of doctors in Scotland had been due to go on strike for the first time ever, over 15 years of real-terms pay cuts, with a full withdrawal of services for 72 hours. From the outset, I have been clear that striking was our very last resort and would only take place should a credible pay offer from the Scottish Government not be on the table.

We went right to the wire, but we got there. After months of negotiations, we reached an offer that I feel can be put to BMA Scotland members with a recommendation to accept. What we ended up with was an unprecedented commitment from the Scottish Government. Though most of the headlines have focused on this year’s 12.4 per cent increase, for doctors the offer hinges on the three-year commitment to inflation-proof our pay until 2027 and the aim to deliver the additional uplifts required to start reversing our 28.5 per cent pay erosion.

So as a result, and I’m sure it brought relief to many, the planned strikes have been postponed while doctors consider our next steps. But should the government not live up to its commitments, we will not hesitate to ballot for strike action again. This isn’t a resolution; this is a necessary step on a longer path that needs to lead towards the restoration of doctors’ pay.

Our planned strikes were never about causing disruption to patients. Of course, we knew operations would be cancelled, and services limited, but the strikes were to show employers and ministers just how much they rely on so-called “junior” doctors for the day-to-day running of our NHS. We have shown them we need to be valued through actions, not just words. Simply saying they appreciate us doesn’t pay our bills, student loans or the fees we pay just so we can continue to work.

Unlike Westminster, the Scottish Government has now recognised the huge decline in real-terms pay that doctors have experienced over the past 15 years, and the huge amount of work that is needed to undo the damage this has caused to our NHS. That’s exactly why it was crucial to get this offer. Yes, it’s about reversing pay erosion and valuing doctors, but the consequence of this is that it makes our NHS sustainable and secures its future by keeping doctors in Scotland to work and train.

We don’t just do the legwork now; if we are welcomed and supported in Scotland then we are the future of Scotland’s NHS. We are the specialists, GPs and consultants of the next decade and beyond. Our senior colleagues, who are also chronically underpaid, cannot work forever. So, we need doctors to keep coming to train, work and stay here. I hope this is the first step in securing that.

But the final decision doesn’t lie with me. We’ll put this offer to our members, and our mandate to strike still has months to run should doctors be unconvinced by what’s been achieved. Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the collective power of junior doctors has been demonstrated by consistently and powerfully speaking up on behalf of the profession and should ensure we are never taken for granted again.

Dr Chris Smith is chair of the BMA’s Scottish junior doctor committee

Scotland's NHS crisis: Threatened junior doctors' strike was vital to secure the health service's future – Dr Chris Smith

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