A union representing workers in Britain’s National Health Service said it found “a litany of instances of meddling and interference” by the government in the pay review process for doctors and dentists.
(Bloomberg) — A union representing workers in Britain’s National Health Service said it found “a litany of instances of meddling and interference” by the government in the pay review process for doctors and dentists.
Public sector freezes, pay caps and remit changes have hindered the independence of the pay review body, according to a report published Thursday by the British Medical Association in consultation with the British Dental Association.
Pay review bodies have become a key battleground amid persistent strikes in the NHS by nurses and ambulance workers. Ministers have argued the groups are independent and their pay recommendations must be abided. Unions insist the process is flawed.
“For more than a decade the pay review process has been constantly interfered with by the government,” said Vishal Sharma, chair of the BMA consultants committee. He called for urgent reform “to have any hope in restoring the confidence of doctors and remedying the dire staffing shortages that we face across the NHS.”
Walkouts
Strikes are rippling through the NHS, with ambulance workers set to protest again next week and junior doctors also balloting for action. Nurses staged their latest walkout on Wednesday.
The strikes are adding to pressure on a health service already bucking from seasonal flu, an ageing population and long waiting lists following the Covid-19 pandemic. Six in 10 people aren’t confident they’ll receive the necessary treatment if they phone 999, a poll conducted by YouGov for Channel 4 News revealed Wednesday.
Meanwhile, inflation remains five times higher than the Bank of England’s 2% target, with public sector pay falling short of the pace of price increases.
The Review Body for Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration, which makes recommendations to government ministers on the pay of doctors and dentists in the NHS, was appointed in 1971. But government interference in recent years has resulted in less money for medical professionals, with the take-home pay of the average consultant dropping by more than a third in real terms since 2008, according to Thursday’s report.
“Continuing with the status quo is not sustainable and will lead to growing discontent and a worsening of the already-dangerous workforce shortage,” the BMA report said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health said it was misleading to say the government interferes with the operation or independence of pay review bodies.
They said the bodies “carefully consider evidence submitted to them from a range of stakeholders, including government, NHS system partners, and trade unions.”
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