The British Medical Association (BMA) has accused the government of “trying to claw back” the pay rises it gave doctors and GPs when it reorganised their contracts last year.
The huge sums of cash that the new contracts cost have been blamed in part for the deficits at some NHS trusts.
In its evidence to the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body, published today, the government argued for a general uplift to doctors’ pay of 1.5%.
However, the BMA said doctors should be awarded pay rises of at least 4% to enable trusts to recruit, retain and motivate them.
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BMA chairman, James Johnson, said: “We don’t negotiate contracts in good faith for them to be whittled away over the succeeding years.”
“Doctors are working intensively and under pressure to cut waiting times and deliver high-quality services,” he said. “They deserve a pay rise that reflects their continuing hard work, not one that erodes the value of contracts the government has agreed to.”
