Junior doctors in Scotland have suspended strike action planned for next week following an improved pay offer. 

BMA Scotland said it would put the proposed uplift of 12.4% in 2023/23 to its members with a recommendation to accept the deal. 

The package also includes a guarantee from the Scottish Government that doctors' pay will increase at least in line with inflation over the next three financial years. 

It replaces the previous pay offer of 14.5% over two years. 

It comes just days before junior doctors - who make up 44% of NHS Scotland's medical workforce - were due to stage a three-day walkout from July 12 to 15 which would have led to thousands of planned operations and outpatient appointments being cancelled.

READ MORE: Why are junior doctors going on strike? 

The BMA had been seeking to restore doctors pay to 2008 levels, which they argued would have required an uplift of more 23% based on retail price inflation (RPI). 

However, the trade union said it was satisfied that the Scottish Government has pledged to negotiate further annual pay rises on top of inflation which it said must "make credible progress on the path towards pay restoration". 

Dr Chris Smith, chair of the Scottish Junior Doctor Committee (SJDC), said: “This has been an intense period of negotiation with the Scottish Government.

“At this stage, our negotiating team feel they have reached the limit of what can be achieved this year and do not think strike action would result in a materially improved offer.

"As a result, we have agreed to suspend next week’s strikes and put this offer to our members."

He added that the pay offer marked an "unprecedented shift from the Scottish Government" and "a recognition of the huge decline in real terms pay that doctors have experienced over the past 15 years".

READ MORE: Why doctors are angry about their 4.5 per cent 'pay rise'

This pay deal, which will cost £61.3 million, means that a first-year junior doctor will have a starting salary of more than £31,000, rising to over £64,000 for a fully-trained specialist registrar.

It comes as junior doctors in England prepare to stage a five-day strike starting on July 13 - the longest in NHS history - amid a stalemate in pay talks with the UK Government. 

Scotland's Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “BMA have agreed to suspend strike action in Scotland while they consult with their members.

“I hope this investment and the significant commitments we have given around pay and contract reform will show junior doctors how much we value them, and that we are determined to ensure that Scotland is the place for junior doctors to work and train."

READ MORE: What's really going on behind the Scotland-England waiting list divide? 

Mr Matheson added that some patients may already have been contacted and told that treatment planned for next week has been cancelled. 

However, he said the Scottish Government is "working hard with health boards to make sure appointments that can go ahead do, and that any others are rescheduled as soon as possible”.