Unions have blasted a “derisory” 2.4 per cent pay rise for doctors that has been proposed by the government next year, reports BritPanorama.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England informed the independent advisory panel that this increase for the 2027/28 financial year could be planned “without having to make trade-offs against headline government health commitments”.
In response, unions heavily criticised the offer, deeming it insufficient and expressing disbelief over its implications. Joint evidence submitted to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) highlighted that the DHSC and NHS are already grappling with a wide array of material financial risks.
Such risks include “the impact of higher inflation, energy costs, industrial action and reducing immigration health surcharge income,” as noted in the submission. It also warned that NHS pay constitutes a significant financial pressure; for every 0.5 per cent increase to pay costs, approximately £750 million is incurred, equating to more than 89,000 hip or knee replacement operations.
The British Medical Association (BMA) described the proposed rise as a “pay cut.” BMA Council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin stated, “It beggars belief that at a time when patients are being treated in hospital corridors and car parks, people are waiting too long for a GP appointment and the government’s pledge to bring down waiting lists is stalling, ministers are saying doctors deserve a pay cut.”
Dr Dolphin added, “While we’ve secured hard-fought progress in recent years, the bottom line is that pay for doctors is well below what it was 20 years ago, having experienced larger salary reductions than any other professional group.”
Helga Pile, head of health at Unison, noted that more than 200,000 NHS staff are paid less than the real living wage. She remarked, “NHS staff will take a very dim view of ministers trying once again to get away with an insulting pay rise, falling well short of expected inflation.”
Pile further stated, “This government came into office on a promise of change. Two years later it’s pledging hope, but most NHS workers have seen neither. With the usual winter pressures just around the corner, and bills set to go through the roof, the suggestion of such a derisory increase is even harder for health staff to take.”
The BMA urged the DDRB to consider “what the NHS and patients really need.” Notably, in 2026, the government accepted a 3.5 per cent pay increase recommended by the DDRB, surpassing its initial proposal of 2.5%.
Dr Dolphin warned, “Cutting pay is not the way to tell a workforce you value them, and doing so will do nothing to keep doctors in the country and the NHS working to improve the experience of patients and performance of services. In the short-term, when we have groups of doctors in dispute, and with consultants in England having a mandate for strike action, a failure to recognise and value their expertise risks further industrial unrest and disruption.”
He added, “In the long-term we lose doctors and the crisis in our NHS deepens. The current project by policymakers and NHS bosses to replace doctors with non-medical staff on the cheap is already risking patient safety.”
Dr Dolphin concluded by noting that the pay review body, the DDRB, will face a test of its independence, urging its members to prioritize what the NHS and patients genuinely require over government budget constraints.
