Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

NHSLatest NewsPublic sectorOvertimePensions

NHS to cover doctors’ tax bills to avoid staffing crisis

by Ashleigh Webber 19 Nov 2019
by Ashleigh Webber 19 Nov 2019 Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

The NHS in England is to cover the additional tax bills encountered by doctors in an attempt to encourage them to work overtime, according to reports.

Senior clinicians have been turning down additional shifts to cover resourcing gaps because they faced increased tax bills, following changes to the annual tax allowance and the NHS pensions scheme.

Public sector pensions

Landmark public sector pension ruling confirmed

Legal challenge in pipeline over teachers and doctors’ pensions

Government admits defeat in police pensions legal battle

A consultation published in September proposed several options to give clinicians more flexibility over their pensions, which would allow them to work extra shifts without facing financial penalties. If taken forward, clinicians would be able to set the exact level of pension accrual at the start of each year in increments of 10 percentage points – for example, 30% contributions for a 30% accrual rate.

With doctors continuing to refuse additional work, senior NHS figures and ministers have agreed a plan for the 2019-20 tax year to allow staff to take money out of their pension pots to pay the tax bills they receive next year. The NHS will then reimburse their pension funds before their retirement, allowing the organisation to spread out the cost of the initiative over time and ensuring that staff are not left out of pocket.

However, Chris Hopson, chief executive of the hospitals’ representative group NHS Providers, told the Times that it was frustrating that managers were excluded from the plans. He said: “We also know that some trusts are concerned about adopting solutions that benefit only the most highly paid when other groups of staff, including the lowest paid, are also seeking help with their pensions issues.”

A temporary plan to alleviate the changes to the pension tax charges has been agreed in Scotland. From 1 December, NHS staff will have the option to have their employer pension contributions paid to them as part of their basic pay, helping to offset the additional tax bills they face if they work overtime.

The plans were cautiously welcomed by the British Medical Association, but it said action was needed across other parts of the UK.

BMA Scottish consultants committee chair Graeme Eunson said: “Our main message remains the same – that the Treasury must recognise the damage the pensions’ tax system is doing to the health service and reform the tax system so that we can just get back to looking after our patients without worrying that going the extra mile is going to cost you tens of thousands in unpredictable pensions’ tax.”

HR opportunities in Healthcare on Personnel Today

Browse more HR opportunities in healthcare

Ashleigh Webber
Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is editor of OHW+ and HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support. Prior to joining Personnel Today in 2018, she covered the road transport sector for Commercial Motor and Motor Transport magazines, touching on some of the employment and wellbeing issues experienced by those in road haulage.

previous post
Labour would help workers ‘take back control’
next post
Graduates take on second jobs to meet living costs

2 comments

Avatar
PAUL ROBERTS 20 Nov 2019 - 3:49 pm

Gaming the system? why not teach the employees who happen to be doctors, senior nurses how to manage their finances instead.

Reply
Avatar
Werner Pretorius 31 Jan 2020 - 8:57 am

The problem is that doctors have now learned that there is no goodwill and they are managing their financers by not working extra sessions for no or negative pay. Either accept a failing NHS due to work not being covered, recruit thousands more staff, or fix this pension fiasco.

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

You may also like

Who is on strike and when?

22 Sep 2023

Joint doctors strikes to cause disruption ‘unlike anything...

20 Sep 2023

Plan to extend strikes minimum service level to...

19 Sep 2023

Fears crumbling concrete could generate ‘asbestos crisis’ in...

15 Sep 2023

Doctor tells sexually harassed female surgeons to ‘toughen...

14 Sep 2023

Unions set to produce template for pay review...

13 Sep 2023

30% of female surgeons have been sexually assaulted

12 Sep 2023

Junior doctors and consultants to strike together

31 Aug 2023

One in 11 will work for NHS England...

30 Aug 2023

New GMC guide spells out zero tolerance of...

23 Aug 2023

  • Discover the value of CIPD accreditation PROMOTED | See how the CIPD can increase your earning potential...Read more
  • What does it mean to be an HR professional in 2024? (survey) PROMOTED | The world of HR is changing rapidly...Read more
  • The Contractor Management Mastery Pack: Everything you need to manage and pay global contractors PROMOTED | Answers to cross-border...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2023

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2023 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+