Our burned-out doctors need 5pc pay rise, says BMA
HOSPITAL CONSULTANTS are “exhausted and demoralised” and deserve a pay rise of at least five per cent rather than the Government’s “derisory” one per cent proposal, ministers are being warned.
The British Medical Association said it had spent months pressing the Government to deliver a “fair” wage uplift for the NHS’s most senior clinicians.
Below-inflation rises have led to the estimated value of take-home pay for the average consultant in England falling by 28.6 per cent between 2008/09 and 2019/20, said the BMA.
Doctors and members of the public have written more than 4,000 letters to MPs demanding a significant pay rise for doctors and other healthcare workers as part of a campaign by the BMA.
Dr Vishal Sharma, deputy chairman of the BMA consultants committee, said: “The NHS has always relied on the goodwill of its staff, like consultants, to paper over the cracks in an under-funded NHS.
“This has never been the case more than during the pandemic when consultants have gone above and beyond to care for patients, putting themselves and their families’
lives at risk in the process. Consultants are exhausted, suffering from high levels of burnout and are expected to deal with the longest waiting lists on record.
“It is therefore essential to maintain the goodwill of consultants so they can help to clear the patient backlog, undertake additional waiting list clinics and take on extra weekend work. Instead, with its suggestion of a pay award of one per cent – an effective pay cut – the Government has left consultants feeling angry and undervalued.
“It is within the gift of ministers to award NHS staff a fair pay award and to demonstrate that consultants are valued and avoid any potential disputes at a time when extra capacity in the NHS is crucial.”
The BMA added that consultants typically worked between an extra 10 per cent and 20 per cent over their contracted hours each week.
“Many doctors feel a huge sense of obligation to stay on well beyond the end of their shift to help colleagues care for often huge numbers of patients waiting to be treated or be seen,” said Dr Sharma.
The NHS Pay Review Body has made recommendations on a wage rise for NHS staff after the Government sparked anger by saying it should be one per cent.
A Department of Health spokesman said: “This year the Government has committed to providing a pay uplift for NHS staff, including consultants, when uplifts across the public sector have been paused, to acknowledge the extraordinary effort of NHS staff.
“We recognise the recommendations from the pay-review bodies are an incredibly important issue and we will carefully consider them before responding.”