There is no rationale for increasing the minimum pension age for GPs and colleagues in medicine, the BMA’s pensions committee chair has warned the Government in a new consultation.
Plans to raise the pension age from 55 to 57 will force yet another tranche of GPs to re-consider their careers, and their membership of the NHS Pension Scheme, Dr Vishal Sharma wrote. He also noted that the armed forces, police and fire services are all exempt from the changes, and called for the exemption to be extended to the NHS as well.
The consultation on the minimum pension age came hot on the heels of a freeze in the lifetime allowance, which will make it very difficult for GP locums to plan their annual workload.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, chair of NASGP, said: ‘This government needs to stop micromanaging contributory work benefits, like the NHS Pension Scheme, particularly at a time when we are trying to encourage more GPs to work in the NHS.
‘Ministers need instead to focus on improvements that will encourage more people to work in the NHS, and strengthen the NHS Pension Scheme.’