Prime Minister announces GP pay freeze

Released 10/03/2010

Gordon Brown overlooks recommendations from Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body to freeze pay

The Government has announced a pay freeze for GPs and NHS managers, overlooking recommendations made by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body(DDRB).

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the pay freeze, overruling the DDRB which has recommended a 1.34 per cent rise in contract payments. The Government has factored in an additional prospective efficiency saving of one per cent on GP expenses.

The proposed uplift in pay for GPs will therefore stand at 0.8 per cent, lower than that recommended by the BMA.

Health secretary Andy Burnham claimed the pay uplifts were good for both the Government and the NHS. "In tough times, this package targets the pay rises we can afford to make where they can do most good for patients.

"They also take full account of the need for pay restraint - especially by top earners in the public sector.

"The best-paid hospital doctors, along with GPs, dentists, and top NHS managers, will therefore get no increases.

"However we have taken on board the recommendations of the independent Pay Review Bodies on lower-paid doctors at the start of their careers, who will be getting a special pay supplement."

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of Council at the BMA, said: "The BMA is disappointed that the government has chosen to overrule some of the recommendations of the independent pay review body. We are well aware of the financial climate in which this decision is being made, but the independent pay review body took these factors into account in coming to its recommendations.

"Many doctors have already undergone pay freezes or sub-inflation pay rises in recent years and today's announcement will mean a pay freeze for the most highly experienced senior doctors.

"We are particularly disappointed that the Government, in choosing to interfere with the pay review body's recommendations, has not fully taken into account the financial pressures on junior doctors in their first years of postgraduate training - who have average debts of £22,000.

"The government has also scaled back the uplift that was essential to counter increases in GPs' expenses, which has resulted in another pay cut for family doctors.

"It is interesting that the Government accepted in full the salary increases recommended for MPs, yet chose to penalise dedicated and hard-working doctors who strive to lead and deliver improvements in care whilst working in exceptionally challenging circumstances."

In contrast, NHS Employers expressed support for the pay awards for doctors, dentists and very senior managers in the NHS and says they are fair for all.

Gill Bellord, director for core membership services at NHS Employers, said: "We welcome pay restraint for consultants in the NHS. The evidence we gave to the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) called for constraint as increases would not be helpful in the context of such difficult economic times.

"In addition, we understand the Government's decision not to increase the pay of board level senior managers. It is reasonable that senior staff in the NHS should lead by example and demonstrate their commitment to meeting the current financial challenges."

"The pay increase of one per cent for salaried GPs, salaried dentists, specialty and associate specialist grade (SAS) doctors and doctors in training in England is acceptable. However, we acknowledge that it creates a pressure as the increased cost has to be met by individual trusts already facing financial difficulties."

NHS Employers said it supported pay restraint for GPs and dentists and was pleased that the Government has taken into account the evidence it submitted on affordability and that such awards should take into account any efficiencies that practices may achieve.

Andrew Clapperton, head of primary care workforce and contracting at NHS Employers, said "We have consistently made the argument over a number of years that these awards should take into account prospective efficiency savings and can understand why the Government has made the decisions it has."

Bellord added: "We believe that overall the outcomes for doctors, dentists and very senior managers, which were announced today, are fair while reflecting the need for efficiencies that all NHS organisations are being asked to deliver."

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