Medical and dental staff working for the National Health Service (NHS) in Wales have been awarded a 2.5% increase to basic pay, backdated to April 2019.
The changes to pay for public sector doctors and dentists in Wales were announced on 11 September 2019, in a written cabinet statement by Vaughan Gething AM, minister for health and social services. This followed the 47th annual report of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB), which was presented to Parliament on 22 July 2018.
The changes will affect consultants, specialty doctors, associate specialists, doctors and dentists in training, salaried GPs and dentists, general medical practitioners, general medical practitioner trainers and appraisers, and general dental practitioners.
All of these groups will receive a 2.5% uplift in pay, or the equivalent grant values. In addition, consultants will see the value of commitment awards and clinical excellence awards frozen. These are awarded to consultants who perform above the standard expected for their role, and are intended to encourage commitment to the NHS above private practice.
Specialty doctors and associate specialists (SAS doctors) will see a potential 1% pay rise 2020/21, on top of the 2.5% already promised, conditional on contract reform. Gething stated in the announcement that he has committed to negotiations on a multi-year pay agreement incorporating contract reform for SAS doctors.
In the written statement, Gething said: “This pay award recognises the value and dedication of hardworking doctors and dentists and their key contribution to the NHS in Wales, as it is one of the biggest pay uplifts for our medical and dental staff in over a decade, [while still] taking into account affordability and the prioritising of patient care.
“The UK Treasury has provided no additional funding to help cover the cost of the award, and so I have invested additional funding to enable this deal to be implemented without undermining delivery of services.
“This pay award, along with the current multi-year deal with staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions is a very positive demonstration of our commitment to the workforce in Wales. We are keen to maintain positive progress supporting the NHS workforce to boost the health, wellbeing and engagement of our entire NHS workforce and so deliver excellent care for the people in Wales.”