GP pensions are a ‘national scandal’ and the Covid-19 admin suspension should become permanent, a report by the Health and Social Care Committee warned.
The NHS must also develop a nationwide ‘retire and return’ policy.
MPs later recommended that all IMG GP trainees should be offered leave to remain after successful completion of GP speciality training.
“It is a national scandal that senior medical staff are being forced to reduce their working contribution to the NHS or to leave it entirely because of NHS pension arrangements… Urgent action is needed to reform NHS pensions and prevent the haemorrhage of senior staff,” MPs wrote.
“The Government must act swiftly to reform the NHS pension scheme to prevent senior staff from reducing their hours and retiring early from the NHS.
“The temporary suspension of regulations governing the administration of NHS pensions, made under the Coronavirus Act 2020, helped to ameliorate this issue during the pandemic. The Government should consider ways to achieve the same outcome now the pandemic is behind us.”
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “It is a strange kind of reassurance when a committee of MPs repeats the exact same sentiments and concerns about NHS pensions that every sane doctor has been saying for the last decade.
“This is not just about our own personal circumstances of being members of a pension scheme that is clearly beyond dysfunctional, but one that is now having an equally tragic impact on patient care because doctors are having to stop work, or otherwise face ridiculous penalties.
“Action on this should have been taken five years ago, so there must be no further delay in bringing about the committee’s recommendations as soon as possible.
“I also very much welcome the recognition that overseas doctors doing their GP training in England should be allowed to remain once qualified as a GP – common sense, at last.”