NHS medical and dental staff in Scotland awarded 3% pay rise

NHS medical and dental staff are to receive a 3% pay rise.

Making the announcement, the Scottish Government said the uplift is in recognition of their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

It is also in line with the recommendation of the independent UK Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.

The pay will be backdated to April 1, 2021, the Government has indicated.

“This announcement means that our senior medical staff will continue to be the best paid in the UK.”
Health secretary Humza Yousaf

Earlier this year, a pay rise of 4% on average was announced for NHS workers, with a £500 thank-you payment for health and social care workers.

Health secretary Humza Yousaf said the rise will help ensure that NHS Scotland remains an attractive employment option.

“This pay award is in recognition of an exceptional year for all of our NHS workers and reflects the immense value we place on the continued hard work and dedication of medical and dental staff,” he said.

“This announcement means that our senior medical staff will continue to be the best paid in the UK.

“As well as rewarding them for their efforts during the pandemic, it will help to ensure that NHS Scotland remains an attractive employment option for medical and dental staff.”

BMA Scotland chair Dr Lewis Morrison said the award means there is still a “long way to go” to reverse more than a decade of previous “poor pay announcements”.

“(The) pay announcement provided the Scottish Government with a real opportunity to start to properly address the years of erosion of doctors’ pay in Scotland,” he said.

“The failure to grasp this chance will mean this year’s pay award does virtually nothing to address low morale in the profession and the recruitment and retention crisis we are in.

“With inflation in April already running at 2.9%, regrettably, this award means there is still a very long way to go to reverse the negative impact of more than a decade of previous poor pay announcements.”

He added: “Doctors in Scotland have suffered substantial real-term pay cuts over many years, and almost all recent pay uplifts have fallen short of being acceptable.

“This has had a cumulative detrimental effect on recruitment, retention and morale; areas which we desperately need to improve upon if our doctors are to feel valued and our NHS is to function in the way it is expected and patients rightly demand.

“Again, failing to go significantly above inflation this year simply continues this disappointing trend.”