When will I receive the uplift?
Application of the uplift is at the mercy of Departmental systems and processes, which we know from the DDRB uplifts are often not quick. Throughout the negotiations the Department of Health (DoH) have stated that December should be an achievable timeframe. We will continue to put pressure on the Department to ensure the uplift reaches consultants as soon as possible.
What about CEAs?
The DoH has consulted on a new Clinical Excellence Award scheme, the findings of which are currently being collated. BMA responded to this consultation on behalf of members. When implemented, the scheme will continue to promote excellence for those applying for awards. We will keep members informed of any developments in relation to CEAs.
What about the DDRB uplift for 2024/25?
Reforms to the DDRB process as part of this pay deal are detailed here.
Throughout the pay negotiations the department were at pains to tell us that the DDRB process sat separately from our pay talks.
The Minister has signalled his support for the 2024/2025 DDRB recommendation of 6% and now needs to secure the funding for it from the Executive.
It is important to remember, whilst we have often received the uplift late, the DoH has never not paid the DDRB uplift in full. If we found ourselves in a position where it looked like the DDRB uplift would not be paid, NICC would carefully consider next steps.
What are you doing to make sure the DDRB pay uplifts are paid in a timely manner?
Unfortunately the timing of when doctors receive their DDRB uplift is often delayed due to departmental processes and systems. Part of this is due to the way in which the NI Executive shares the budget. We continue, each year, to put pressure on the department to pay the uplift as soon as possible. In recent years this has been frustrated by the lack of an Executive.
We are hopeful that changes to the DDRB will also assist with this. Part of the changes secured by consultant negotiations in England seek to bring the DDRB process forward. With the publication date aimed at being before the beginning of the financial year in which the uplift is due, rather than around July which is currently the case. This should allow governments more time to get necessary processes in place.
Is the aim still for full pay restoration? How will that be achieved?
BMA’s stated policy is still for full pay restoration to 2008 levels. We see this offer as a step on the road towards that. We are hopeful that changes to the DDRB will see pay recommendations that make steps towards pay restoration. If that does not prove to be the case, NICC and the BMA as a whole will carefully consider all available options to them to pursue pay restoration.
What are the possible pension tax implications?
A key part of restoring pay is to ensure that we restore the value of pensions. When considering pay scale reform we needed to consider the impact both for those with predominantly final salary pension and those with predominantly CARE pension.
People may rightly be concerned about the impact of pay rises and whether this will trigger an annual allowance tax charge. Whilst this cannot be avoided entirely, especially for those nearer the top of the scale who typically have higher accrued final salary membership, the changes announced at the budget in March 2023 go some way to mitigating this (increase of AA to £60,000, realignment of CPI uplift to only test AA above inflation, ability to offset positive growth in one scheme with negative growth in another).
Members can also carry forward any unused AA from the previous three years.
Throughout the talks on this offer, we were cognisant of the potential impact of additional back pay and pay uplifts on consultants' annual allowance. We pressed both the department and trusts to have a solution in place by the conclusion of our discussions. We were able to secure a further commitment to introduce an Employer Contribution Recycling scheme for those members forced to opt out of the pension scheme to manage their pension growth, and Trusts will endeavour to have regional policies in place on recycling and other pension flexibilities, such as partial retirement, by the 30th of September.
Individuals who are concerned about this should seek their own independent financial advice.
What are the changes relating to shared parental leave?
DoH will amend the Consultant (NI) Terms and Conditions of Service (2004) to include Consultants’ right to Shared Parental Leave in line with all other staff groups in the HSC.