The offer to SAS doctors in Northern Ireland

Find out more about the Department of Health's offer to SAS doctors in Northern Ireland.
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Following negotiations with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland (DoH) and employers' representatives, NISASC (the Northern Ireland Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctors committee) has reached a pay offer that has been accepted by members in a referendum.

Eligible BMA SAS members voted 94.7% (turnout 63.2%) to accept the offer, delivering a vital step on our journey to restored pay. This offer will be backdated to April 2024 and should be paid by the end of March 2025.

DDRB  

This pay offer is on top of the 6% DDRB recommended pay uplift for 2024/25 which the Health Minister has confirmed will be backdated by 10 months and paid by March 2025. The Minister has stated that the outstanding two-month shortfall to this uplift will be paid at a later date, however the timing of this is not yet finalised. 

 

The offer

Key offer points

  • Realigned 2021 pay scales, lifting basic pay for everyone on the 2021 contracts.
  • A consolidated £1,400 pay uplift to each pay point on the closed contracts.
  • A consolidated £1,400 for those on the pre 2008 contracts and anyone still employed on Associate Specialist and Staff Grade contracts.
  • Pay uplift backdated to 1st April 2024.
  • Measures to facilitate career progression.
  • Retained the right to promote the SAS rate card for extra contractual work to SAS doctors.

How did we get here?

SAS doctors in Northern Ireland entered a dispute with DoH (Department of Health) in May 2024 as a result of years of pay erosion that was having a detrimental impact on the workforce. 

NISASC representatives were invited to negotiate a pay deal with DoH based on the deal agreed by English SAS doctors in June 2024 which released funding for Northern Ireland SAS pay negotiations. This happened without NI SAS doctors having to ballot for industrial action as was the case elsewhere.

 

Pay

Open contracts

DoH offered investment to increase basic pay for both the 2021 specialty doctor and specialist pay scales. Everyone on these scales will receive an increase to their basic pay of between 6.3% and 9.22% above current levels. Any uplift received from the DDRB 2024/25 recommendation will be on top of this. 

The following table details the current 2021 contract pay scales, the new revised pay scale proposed from the accepted offer, and the difference between the two.

Pay Point Current Pay (23/24) 24/25 Pay Offer (not factoring in DDRB Increase £ Increase %
Specialty doctor – 2021 contract holder 1 52,530 55,825 3,295 6.3%
2 52,530 55,825 3,295 6.3%
3 52,530 55,825 3,295 6.3%
4 60,519 64,315 3,796 6.3%
5 60,519 64,315 3,796 6.3%
6 60,519 64,315 3,796 6.3%
7 67,465 71,696 4,231 6.3%
8 67,465 71,696 4,231 6.3%
9 67,465 71,696 4,231 6.3%
10 74,675 79,359 4,684 6.3%
11 74,675 79,359 4,684 6.3%
12 74,675 79,359 4,684 6.3%
13 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
14 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
15 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
16 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
17 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
18 82,400 90,000 7,600 9.2%
Specialist (2021) 1 83,945 91,500 7,555 9.0%
2 83,945 91,500 7,555 9.0%
3 83,945 91,500 7,555 9.0%
4 89,610 95,079 5,496 9.0%
5 89,610 95,079 5,496 9.0%
6 89,610 95,079 5,496 9.0%
7 95,275 101,089 5,814 9.0%

Please note:

  • this pay scale realignment would be permanent, not a one-off increase for this year only
  • this means that the uplift for the 2024/25 DDRB recommendation will be on top of these pay scales. 

 

Closed contracts

We were clear that a deal that did not include the 2008 contract would not pass a referendum of our members in Northern Ireland. Therefore, this offer includes a consolidated £1,400 pay uplift to everyone on these pay scales. This means a total pay increase of 7.4% to 9.2% to the 2008 SAS pay scales since 2022/23. 

These new pay scales will also receive an uplift as a result of the 2024/25 DDRB recommendation, which the Health Minister has confirmed will be backdated by 10months and paid by March 2025. The Minister has stated that the outstanding two-month shortfall to this uplift will be paid at a later date, however the timing is not yet finalised. 

View the table below which details the previous 2008 pay scales, and the new revised pay scale proposed from the accepted offer.

Proposal for closed pay scales

Pay Point 23/24 NI pay values 24/25 Pay Offer (not factoring in DDRB) Increase £ Increase %
Specialty Doctor (2008) 1 47,186 48,586 1,400 3.0%
2 51,223 52,623 1,400 2.7%
3 56,467 57,867 1,400 2.5%
4 59,278 60,678 1,400 2.4%
5 63,329 64,729 1,400 2.2%
6 67,365 68,765 1,400 2.1%
7 67,365 68,765 1,400 2.1%
8 71,489 72,889 1,400 2.0%
9 71,489 72,889 1,400 2.0%
10 75,616 77,016 1,400 1.9%
11 75,616 77,016 1,400 1.9%
12 79,741 81,141 1,400 1.8%
13 79,741 81,141 1,400 1.8%
14 79,741 81,141 1,400 1.8%
15 83,868 85,268 1,400 1.7%
16 83,868 85,268 1,400 1.7%
17 83,868 85,268 1,400 1.7%
18 87,994 89,394 1,400 1.6%
Pay Point 23/24 NI pay values 24/25 Pay Offer (not factoring in DDRB) Increase £ Increase %
Staff grade (M211) 1 43,717 45,117 1,400 3.2%
2 47,185 48,585 1,400 3.0%
3 50,656 52,056 1,400 2.8%
4 54,128 55,528 1,400 2.6%
5 57,598 58,998 1,400 2.4%
6 61,684 63,084 1,400 2.3%
Staff Grade (M212) 1 64,538 65,938 1,400 2.2%
2 68,007 69,407 1,400 2.1%
3 71,478 72,878 1,400 2.0%
4 74,948 76,348 1,400 1.9%
5 78,418 79,818 1,400 1.8%
6 81,891 83,291 1,400 1.7%
Pay Point 23/24 NI pay values 24/25 Pay Offer (not factoring in DDRB) Increase £ Increase %
Associate specialist (pre-2008) 1 48,325 49,725 1,400 2.9%
2 53,441 54,841 1,400 2.6%
3 58,559 59,959 1,400 2.4%
4 63,678 65,078 1,400 2.2%
5 68,794 70,194 1,400 2.0%
6 73,912 75,312 1,400 1.9%
7 80,673 82,073 1,400 1.7%
8 86,530 87,930 1,400 1.6%
9 88,961 90,361 1,400 1.6%
10 92,131 93,531 1,400 1.5%
11 95,303 96,703 1,400 1.5%
12 98,476 99,876 1,400 1.4%
13 101,645 103,045 1,400 1.4%
14 104,819 106,219 1,400 1.3%
Pay Point 23/24 NI pay values 24/25 Pay Offer (not factoring in DDRB) Increase £ Increase %
Associate Specialist (2008) 1 66,158 67,558 1,400 2.1%
2 71,477 72,877 1,400 2.0%
3 76,793 78,193 1,400 1.8%
4 83,815 85,215 1,400 1.7%
5 89,899 91,299 1,400 1.6%
6 92,425 93,825 1,400 1.5%
7 92,425 93,825 1,400 1.5%
8 95,721 97,121 1,400 1.5%
9 95,721 97,121 1,400 1.5%
10 99,015 100,415 1,400 1.4%
11 99,015 100,415 1,400 1.4%
12 102,310 103,710 1,400 1.4%
13 102,310 103,710 1,400 1.4%
14 102,310 103,710 1,400 1.4%
15 105,603 107,003 1,400 1.3%
16 105,603 107,003 1,400 1.3%
17 105,603 107,003 1,400 1.3%
18 108,903 110,303 1,400 1.3%

The £1,400 consolidated pay uplift will also be applied to pre-2008 contracts (including pre-2008 associate specialists and staff grades).

Please note:

  • this uplift to each point on the pay scales would be embedded in basic pay, so represents a recurring, pensionable increase – not a one-off payment for this year only
  • this means that the DDRB’s recommendation for a 2024/25 award, whenever it is implemented in Northern Ireland, would be on top of the increase in this offer.

 

Non-pay measures

Alongside improving the pay scales, the offer includes a number of non-pay commitments including: 

  • employers will actively review current service delivery models with a view to the introduction of more specialist posts, along with guidance from the department on the creation of specialist posts
  • a commitment from the department to issue a new circular to employers on the contractual commitment to SPA time
  • there will be a new two-year window to apply to move to the 2021 contract, closing in April 2027
  • the Department of Health will fund the introduction of SAS Advocate in each trust
  • recurrent funding for the Associate Dean and SAS leads as previously agreed with BMA, NIMDTA and the department has been confirmed
  • the BMA NI SAS rate card remains in place and can be actively promoted.

 

Still have question on the pay offer?

Email: [email protected]