Junior doctors and the Government have reached a provisional agreement on a pay deal that will result in a 20 per cent increase in pay over two years.
The deal will now be presented to members of the British Medical Association (BMA) for consideration.
The terms of the agreement were finalised during pay negotiations last week. The proposed terms include an additional 4 per cent increase in pay for 2023/24, on top of the average 8.8 per cent increase already awarded. In addition, there will be a further 6 per cent increase in pay for 2024/25, along with a consolidated payment of £1,000.
For junior doctors starting their careers, the pay increases will be even higher, with a 14 per cent increase for the lowest paid.
Under the proposed deal, doctors would receive an additional 4 per cent, bringing the total increase to 12 per cent. In 2024/25, their pay would rise by 6 per cent along with the £1,000 consolidated payment, resulting in an increase between 7 per cent and 9 per cent. On average, this means an overall increase of around 20 per cent, and for those starting out, a rise of 22 per cent. The entire package, is estimated to cost around £1.3 billion.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is expected to confirm these pay rises in a statement to the Commons on Monday afternoon. The move while bringing to end the long running dispute will put further pressure on the Labour Chancellor as she struggles to balance the Country’s finances amid claims that the Conservative Government left a £20 billion deficit that will require increases in taxation of savage cuts.
The BMA’s committee has agreed to present the offer to its members, and if accepted, it would put an end to any industrial action.
However, there is no guarantee that the offer will be accepted, as junior doctors have been advocating for a 35 per cent increase to address the previous years’ wage stagnation relative to inflation.
Additionally, it is expected that the Government will announce a pay rise of 5.5 per cent for other NHS workers, including nurses, based on the recommendations of the independent pay review. This pay rise will apply to approximately 1.3 million staff. Doctors and dentists will receive a pay rise of 6 per cent, while senior NHS managers will receive a pay rise of 5 per cent.