21.07.20
Doctors listed among public sector workers set for pay rise
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced above inflation pay rises this year for a number of public sector workers, including doctors, as part of efforts to reflect their vital contribution to the country, particularly under the recent circumstances.
The announced pay rises, which will affect nearly 900,000 public sector workers across the country, will see teachers and doctors receive the largest rises in salary at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively.
Sectors set to receive a pay rise includes the Armed Forces, teachers, police officers, the National Crime Agency (NCA), prison officers, doctors and dentists, the judiciary, senior civil servants and senior military personnel.
The government has accepted in full the pay recommendations in the latest Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) report, which considers a range of evidence from the NHS and trade unions.
This pay award is worth, in basic pay:
- between £2,200 and £3,000 for consultants
- between £1,100 and £2,100 for specialty doctors
- between £1,500 and £2,600 for associate specialists
This year’s pay awards reflect the efforts made by those in the public sector in responding to the challenges of coronavirus. The pay awards for NHS staff work, alongside a number of other roles, will be backdated to April this year.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “These past few months have been an incredibly challenging time for our NHS, and the resolve, professionalism and dedication of staff has been on show throughout.
“We are able to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review body for dentists and doctors.
“I am committed to supporting the entire NHS and social care workforce through improved recruitment and retention and delivering 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more doctors in general practice.”
Nurses, midwives, hospital porters and other NHS staff are not covered by this pay round. Under the terms of a deal reached with unions representing NHS England staff in 2018, their pay will rise by at least 6.5% over three years from 2018 onwards. The NHS Pay Review Body, who cover Agenda for Change staff, is expected to return to making recommendations for next year’s pay awards.
Mr Sunak added: “These past months have underlined what we always knew – that our public sector workers make a vital contribution to our country and that we can rely on them when we need them.
“It’s right therefore that we follow the recommendations of the independent pay bodies with this set of real-terms pay rises.”