NHS England has warned the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) against recommending that GP pay should go up by more than 2%, Pulse reports.
NHSE’s submission, published earlier this week, advised the DDRB: “Funding is available for a pay uplift of 2% for contractor GPs, salaried GPs and other salaried practice staff.”
The news coincides with the release of a BMA resource that lists recommended questions for GPs to ask practices during interviews for a salaried role.
“The sessional GPs committee is aware of the declining number of locum opportunities across the UK, and that many sessional GPs are taking up substantive salaried roles,” authors wrote.
Last month GPs in England overwhelmingly voted to reject the announced Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England changes to the 2024/25 national GP General Medical Services (GMS) contract.
Workforce shortages in general practice hit headlines last month after one GP reported turning to Uber after failing to find the stability he sought at work.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “With the current rate of inflation at 3.8%, this is in effect a pay cut. Which actually could be perfectly acceptable if it was accompanied by an improvement in benefits, such as a lighter workload, less need to supervise other staff, safer working conditions, flexible working or improved holiday leave. Or healthcare benefits like shorter waiting list times when we’re ill, better premises to work in, inclusive indemnity costs, subsidised education, greater career opportunities and no looming threat of less qualified colleagues taking on the work we’ve trained for for a decade.
“But none of those benefits are being offered: in fact, quite the opposite.
“It’s no news to anyone that a happy profession is a productive profession, and a fair and decent remuneration package is desperately needed at the moment to boost morale because, without that, there is no chance of turning the NHS around and giving it the boost it needs.”