BMA recommends two per cent GP pay rise

The British Medical Association (BMA) has advised that GPs should receive a two per cent pay rise in 2017-18 to maintain levels in line with the ‘wider economy’.

The BMA made the the comment in its submission to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB), where it argued that ‘doctors should be treated in line with the wider economy, where pay settlements continue to run at higher than the public sector pay policy cap, at around two per cent currently'.

The BMA said: “We believe that DDRB should make its recommendations based on the value of doctors, not within any constraints imposed by governments.”

The group argued that 'doctors are being unfairly punished by government with continuing real loss of earnings and increasing cost pressures, when pay rises above one per cent are still regularly being seen across the economy'.

The news comes as the NHS is already facing a recruitment and retention crisis.

The submission to the DDRB said: “We believe there is a significant lack of data currently available around sessional GPs (salaried and locum) on which to base any firm recommendations, for example around pay ranges, and how GPs choose to take a partnership, salaried or locums post.”