Last week the Government announced it was to give consultants in England a 3% uplift. Whilst this represents an increase compared to the paltry 1% offer from the Government at the start of the year, it remains well below what consultants had been calling for.
Since May, almost 2,500 consultants have written to their MP demanding the Government delivers a fair and significant pay uplift for consultants in England, Consultants, more than any other group of healthcare workers, have been hit hardest by years of below-inflationary pay rises from successive governments, with the estimated take-home pay for the average consultant in England falling by 28.6% in real terms.
BMA has said that since March of this year, its consultants’ committee has lobbied for a pay award of at least 5% as part of the Fairness for the frontline campaign. With the retail price index already at 3.9% and the consumer price index currently predicted to increase to close to 4% later this year, this so-called uplift should be seen for what it really is – another real-terms pay cut.
BMA to survey senior hospital doctors to test the depth of anger on 3% pay award
The BMA is surveying tens of thousands of England’s most senior hospital doctors to find out what they think of the pay award, and what action, if any they want the BMA to take on their behalf. The survey gets underway today and it will ask consultants for their views of the uplift, the impact the award has had on their morale and whether or not they wish to consider any form of action, including possible industrial action.
The findings will be reviewed by the BMA and help determine whether there is a need to proceed to a formal ballot.
Pay award of 3 per cent is bitterly disappointing
The Chair of the BMA’s Consultants Committee, Dr Vishal Sharma said, “A below-inflation pay award of 3% is bitterly disappointing, and it shows once again how little the Government values the dedication and expertise of consultants in England, many of whom have been brought to the brink of breaking point by the pressures of the past 18 months.
“What we do next is of vital importance to all consultants in England, which is why in the coming days we will be asking all consultant members to tell us what they think of the pay award and what action, including potential industrial action they would like to see from the BMA. Consultants have given their all in leading the fight against Covid-19. Some at the expense of their own health. Others with their lives. And this pressure will only intensify as we begin to tackle the backlog of delayed treatment caused by the pandemic.”
The survey will run until the 16th of August. Junior doctors will also be launching a similar consultation with members in the coming days.
Doctors’ Association UK ‘dismayed’
In a public statement, the Doctors’ Association, UK said: The Doctors’ Association UK is dismayed at the government’s less than inflation uplift for NHS workers and call for ‘fair say on fair pay’. At a time when doctors have given their lives and livelihoods to the pandemic, with no clear end in sight, it is an insult that the government sees a 3 per cent uplift as fair remuneration
The Telegraph reported that the official figures show 21 per cent of staff working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups were black or from ethnic minority backgrounds last year, above the 14 per cent share of the UK population, and those in senior management roles have increased by 41.7 per cent since 2017. It is common knowledge that most ERs and GP practices depute health workers from ethnic minorities for night shifts. Amid this, and institutional racism against which the BMA and other bodies have perpetually voiced out their dissent, it is going to be a matter of immense challenge and responsibility for the government to take notice of what the medical practitioners have to say.
