The Government has announced a pay award of 3.5 per cent for doctors in England, below RPI inflation levels, following a recommendation from the doctors’ and dentists’ pay review body (DDRB).
The BMA says this will be a ‘crushing blow’ to doctors in England and will ‘dash any hope’ that the Government is prepared to properly recognise a profession that is ‘burning out’.
Inflation figures out today show RPI at 3.6 per cent for the 12 months to February, making the award another real-terms pay cut for doctors, on top of making no progress at addressing historic pay loss since 2008. Inflation is also expected to rise further in the coming months.
BMA council chair Tom Dolphin said: ‘Today’s announcement will be a crushing blow to doctors in England, leaving many to consider why they should continue to give their all to a system that refuses to value them.
‘It will dash any hope that the Government might be prepared to properly recognise the expertise and contribution of doctors to the health of the nation, and it shows that the promised reforms to the DDRB have not resulted in it showing its independence from government in any way.’
The DDRB offer relates to all doctors in England. It also made recommendations to the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In response to the announcement, resident doctors in England immediately announced new strike dates for next month. The new strike dates are from 13-17 April.
The BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC) extended its mandate to take industrial action in February, when 93 per cent voted to strike if the government could not offer an acceptable deal on jobs and pay.
Resident doctors have seen their pay fall by 20 per cent in real terms since 2008.
Other branches of practice do not currently have a mandate to strike.
Dr Dolphin added: ‘Both the recommendation and award fail to meet the rising cost of living, let alone make any progress in restoring pay that doctors have lost over the last 17 years.
‘It is no surprise then that the [RDC] has rejected an offer for resident doctors in England that includes today’s award and announced new strike dates.
‘All of the doctors we represent affected by today’s announcement will be looking at it with dismay and planning their next steps. All doctors have seen their pay fall in real terms over the last decade and more, and we know that given that inflation is expected to skyrocket this year, this will most likely be a further real-terms pay cut. It should therefore come as no shock to ministers when we see more groups making plans towards their own industrial action.
‘Just last week we saw politicians heap praise and gratitude on doctors and their colleagues for their “extraordinary efforts” during the pandemic and recognise the need to support and retain them in the health service. Today’s announcement flies in the face of this.
‘Doctors are stretched to the limit, delivering their best for patients against all odds and are burning out. The answer the Government has to this is cutting their pay further.
‘More strikes may be the short-term impact, but if not solved, the long-term is far worse, as we see more doctors turning their backs on the NHS they love and have already given so much to.’