Responding to today’s recommendations from the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB)1, and the Government announcement that these will be accepted in full, Professor Philip Banfield, BMA council chair, said:
“Today’s announcement is an early sign that the Government and the pay review body are beginning to recognise the value of doctors and the need to fix pay.
“Much attention today will be on the offer for junior doctors in England2, which if accepted brings to an end a dispute that has gone on far longer than it needed to.
“With today’s announcement building on the recent pay deals for consultants3 and SAS doctors4 in England, giving above inflation pay uplifts, this starts to set doctors on the right path towards restoring the lost value of pay from the last 15 years.
“There is still a long way to go. With the results of our ballot of GP contractors in England for collective action now being counted5, GPs will be deeply disappointed that today’s announcement goes nowhere near far enough to tackle the erosion of practice finances over the past five years or unfettered expansion of unfunded work being dumped into general practice. This is an untenable position, it can’t continue and GPs have a duty to place patient safety ahead of meaningless government or NHS targets.
“This Government has already said that the NHS is broken in England. Through Treasury investment, this UK Government must ensure that it enables the devolved nations to value their doctors and health services, too. Doctors are key to fixing the NHS across the UK, but this can only be done by valuing, retaining and paying them all what they are worth for their unique skills and expertise.”
Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chair, said:
“After years of real-terms pay cuts, unprecedented strike action by consultants, and a hard-won pay deal with the last administration, today’s announcement is a useful first step in the right direction from a new Government.
“This above-inflation uplift is a clear sign that our concerns about repeated pay cuts are finally being heard.
“However, our fight to fix pay is not over. Through this year’s earlier agreement we secured changes to the way the pay review body, the DDRB, operates and to restore its independence. The above inflation recommendation of 6% from the DDRB reflects the spirit of some of these changes but they won’t come fully into effect until next year.
“And while 6% is a start on the path to restore pay for consultants, there is still a long way to go before the real-terms pay cuts over the last 15 years are fully reversed. Only by truly recognising the value of consultants will we attract and keep our most experienced hospital doctors working in the NHS at a time when their expertise is needed most.”
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, BMA GP committee in England chair, said:
“Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, but practice funding today even with this uplift, is not even close to what it was even five years ago.
“Our understanding is that the uplift is 4.1% today - being inclusive of the 1.9% GPs got in their core practice contracts from April. Our concern is that this will come as a blow to many GP partners who have been trying to make every last penny stretch.
“An underfunded contract has consequences for running costs, wider staff salaries and the ability to hire additional unemployed GPs to deliver more appointments. Without adequate funding, this will mean that some surgeries will have to close.
“We’ve had positive conversations with the new Health Secretary, but the last Government forced us to ballot for collective action. We very much look forward to Mr Streeting working with us to give our profession the resources it needs so we can start to rebuild general practice, and help the Government fulfil their manifesto commitment to bring back the family doctor.”
Dr Mark Steggles, BMA sessional GP committee chair, said:
“We called for the DDRB to recommend a significantly above inflation pay award and to urgently review the antiquated pay ranges for salaried GPs across the UK.
“Pay erosion for employed GPs stood at up to 25% between 2008/09 and 2022/23, and a 6% award does not meaningfully address that. Colleagues feel undervalued, overworked and chronically underpaid.
“Without addressing pay erosion, the NHS cannot hope to recruit or retain enough GPs, and it’ll get even harder for patients to access the care they need. Salaried GPs are also now being left behind other NHS colleagues, who have begun to make some progress towards pay restoration.
“Things have never been harder for GPs - underfunding across the system means partners are seriously struggling to pay or hire the extra staff they need. It’s, therefore, imperative that the 6% uplift is fully funded, including oncosts, by each nation’s Government to ensure that contractors are enabled to pass on the award in full and without delay.”
Dr Ujjwala Mohite, BMA SAS UK committee chair, said:
“This year SAS doctors have made very clear they won’t accept further pay erosion. We made significant progress in our recent pay deal with Government, and today’s uplift represents another step on that road.
“However, there is still much more to do. The DDRB may not be recommending sub-inflationary pay rises this year but more will need to be done to ensure that its future recommendations don’t offer less than we are worth.
“SAS doctors are essential to the running of the NHS but years of pay erosion and poor working conditions are forcing many of these talented professionals out of the health service. Our hard work in negotiating and fighting for our future has clearly made a difference to the pay recommendations, but we are still nowhere near seeing the full value we bring to the NHS.”
Responding to a 6% recommendation from the Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB), which determines the pay award for regular armed forces doctors, BMA armed forces committee chair Dr Sandy Wood said:
"We are pleased that, for the first time in many years, the AFPRB has matched the pay award recommended for NHS doctors by the DDRB, as well as making recommendations which amend and improve the pay scale for MODOs. However, in light of the in-year NHS pay deals received by consultants in England and junior doctors in Scotland for 2023/24, and the announcement of a pay offer for junior doctors in England, the MOD could still face a mass exodus of their medical officers and dental officers, who may view civilian life as a slightly more attractive option, if the MOD does not take significant steps to address pay."
Ends
Notes to editors
The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.
- The DDRB has recommended a 6% pay uplift for 2024/25 for all doctors, with an additional consolidated payment of £1,000 for junior doctors. Full details here.
- Read the junior doctors announcement here.
- Details of the consultant deal here.
- Details of the SAS deal here.
- The GP contractor non-statutory ballot closed at midday today. Results will be announced in due course. Find background about the dispute here.
- Details of the AFPRB and joint response.