Responding to the DDRB recommendations on doctors pay, and the UK Government’s announcement on a pay award for NHS staff in England, deputy chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council, Dr Phil White said:
“Yesterday’s announcement of an above inflation pay uplift for doctors in England is a step in the right direction. Doctors in Wales, keenly await the response of the Welsh Government and rightly anticipate that the recommendations of the DDRB will also be honoured in Wales.
“For too long doctors’ sacrifices have been taken for granted with real terms cuts in the form of years of below inflation uplifts, and this left doctors with no other choice but to vote for, and in some cases take, industrial action over their pay earlier this year.
“Since then and through weeks of negotiations we were able to reach fairer settlements* for 2023/24, for doctors working in secondary care which went some way to better valuing their hard work and retaining the workforce.
“We will continue to work with the Welsh Government to achieve full pay restoration for doctors in Wales who since 2008/9 have seen significant reductions in their pay in real terms. We remain committed to restoring that pay to ensure doctors remain in Wales and encourage more to come and work here.
“Despite the fairer settlements reached for doctors working in secondary care for 2023/24, we have a long way to go to fix GP pay. We have called on the Welsh Government to urgently address the crisis in general practice by securing a mandate to allow for GMS (general medical services) contract negotiations to start without any further delays**.
“GMS practices have already had to absorb super-inflationary wage costs arising from statutory minimum wage increases, and their financial situation is precarious. We have already informed the First Minister that we are actively evaluating all options in the event of a dispute***.”
Notes to editors
*Doctors in Wales vote to accept pay offers
**GMS Contract negotiations for the 24/25 financial year have been delayed. Last year negotiations for the 23/24 GMS contract failed to reach a conclusion causing deeper cuts to services. See press release.
***GPC Wales chair Dr Gareth Oelmann has written to the first minister requesting immediate action on the delay to the 24/25 GMS contract negotiations.