The Department of Health is encouraging older doctors to return to work or
go part-time instead of taking early retirement, in a bid to retain their
skills.
Nigel Crisp, chief executive of the NHS, urged trust CEOs to offer flexible
retirement options to ensure the older doctors stay on with the health service.
Tracy Myhill, vice-president of the Association of Healthcare Human Resource
Management, welcomed the development, but stressed that it was important to
allow senior doctors to reduce their workloads while not losing pension
benefits.
The pension options available will depend on the amount of contributions
paid, the doctor’s age and the hours they wish to work. Salaries for part-time
work would be decided locally.
Myhill said, "The key is flexibility. It is not just about part-time
work, it is about what work we expect them to do. There are so many other roles
around training clinical governance and appraisal of medical staff. Senior
medical staff are very helpful to us in these roles."
