Senior ethnic doctors working in the NHS in England get paid less than their white peers, a new analysis suggests.

The basic pay of white consultants can be £5,000 more a year compared with those from black or minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, according to data published in the British Medical Journal (the BMJ).

Doctors' leaders said the analysis shows that BME doctors are facing "unacceptable" discrimination in the NHS.

In a feature piece published in the journal, Professor John Appleby, director of research and chief economist at the Nuffield Trust think tank, examined basic pay data from the NHS Electronic Staff Record for December 2017 for doctors in England directly employed by the NHS.

There were slight differences noted among doctors of all levels - apart from second year junior doctors.

In all doctors up to consultant level, basic pay differences between white and BME doctors were 1% or less.

But among consultants - the top doctors in the NHS - the mean basic pay for white doctors was 4.9% higher than for BME consultants.

"This is equivalent to additional basic pay in December 2017 of £387, or scaled up, around £4,644 a year," Prof Appleby wrote.

When the data was further analysed it transpired that mean basic pay varied considerably when comparing white consultants with people from different ethnic backgrounds.

For instance, white consultants were paid an average basic salary of 3.5% more than black/black British consultants.

Compared with mixed, or dual heritage, consultants, white consultants were paid 6% more.

Prof Appleby wrote: "Part of the explanation may be differences in the age profile of white and BME consultants ... white consultants tend to be older, and if age is taken as a proxy for experience, and experience is positively linked to remuneration, then we would expect to see some difference in pay.

"However, there will be other explanations too - some warranted, others not so much. These, as with the gender pay gap, are worth investigating further."

Commenting on the analysis, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, said: "This BMJ study confirms that BME doctors continue to face unacceptable barriers, penalties and discrimination in the NHS.

"It cannot be right that in 21st century Britain there are such wide gaps in pay between white and BME doctors in senior posts when irrespective of their background, they hold positions to deliver the same care to patients.

"The Government and the NHS must take this issue seriously and tackle all forms of discrimination within the health service."

NHS England was approached for comment.