Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has initiated the annual pay review for doctors in a letter to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB).
Mr Streeting outlined in the letter, which was published on July 22, that the Government remains committed to bringing the 2026 to 2027 pay announcements forward, in line with the broader goal of ensuring more timely annual pay processes. This comes two months after the Government backed the DDRB’s advice to award a 4% pay increase for doctors in 2025 to 2026.
In response to the pay increase, the chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) council, Professor Philip Banfield, said, “4% is below the rate of the Retail Price Index inflation – the measure of inflation that reflects real life costs like housing and food – and this means on the current trajectory, most consultants in England will never see their pay fully restored to where it should be, in their working lives.”
The BMA believes the 4% pay award for general practice is “woefully inadequate”, as they believe it has failed to redress historic losses of pay; however, according to digital publication GP Online, doctors’ leaders are expected to welcome the earlier start to the pay review process.
Mr Streeting said, “Public sector workers delivering our vital public services deserve timely pay awards. That is why we are launching this pay round two months earlier than the previous pay round. All pay must be funded from departmental budgets, and there will be no additional funding available for pay settlements.”
