Rishi Sunak announces pay increase for NHS after junior doctors stage the biggest strike ever

Pay scales for most doctors and dentists will increase by at least a 6% this year after the government accepted the recommendations from the independent pay review bodies in full.

Around 130,000 full-time equivalent doctors and dentists, including junior doctors and consultants will see their pay rise in line with the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration’s (DDRB) recommendations. Pay for junior doctors will be increased by 8.8% on average. The agreement means pay for a first year junior doctor will increase by 10.3%. Pay for the most experienced junior doctors will increase by 8.1%. For consultants, this means a rise of 6%.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said, “We hugely value the work of all NHS staff.

“That’s why we’re giving junior doctors, consultants and senior NHS staff a fair and reasonable pay rise as recommended by the independent pay review bodies.

“But it also balances the need to keep inflation in check while giving some staff significant pay increases.

“We’ve made it clear this pay award is not up for negotiation and urge those unions still in dispute with the government to end their strikes immediately.”

As recommended by the DDRB, most dentists and doctors will receive at least a 6% pay rise. Junior doctor pay will be increased by 6% plus £1,250.

Average basic pay for a first year junior doctor will increase from £29,300 to £32,300 and for a junior doctor in core training with 3 years’ experience it will increase from £40,200 to £43,900. For consultants and SAS doctors on pre-2021 contracts, this is on top of the 4.5% pay rise they received last year. Some staff will also benefit from performance pay, overtime, pay progression and pay rises from promotion, alongside the pay uplift.

The government has been clear about the need for pay awards to recognise the hard work of the public sector whilst meeting the Prime Minister’s priority to halve inflation and managing public spending effectively.

More borrowing would add pressures on inflation at exactly the wrong time, risking higher interest rates and higher mortgage rates. The government plans to increase the main rate of the Immigration Health Surcharge – to ensure it covers the full healthcare costs of those who pay it, having been frozen for the last three years despite high inflation and wider pressures – to at least £1,035, and the discounted rate for students, their dependents, those on Youth Mobility Schemes and under-18s to £776. The government will fund this pay award through prioritisation within existing departmental budgets, with front line services being protected.

Last month one million NHS staff, including nurses and paramedics, received a 5% pay rise worth at least £1,065 to full-time staff as well as two one off payments worth at least £1,655.

Last week’s announcement comes weeks after the NHS published its first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion government funding, will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff over the next 15 years.