Further gender pay disparity in Scotland

Freedom of Information data has shown that just 15 out of 100 of the highest-paid consultants across Scotland's health boards were women, emphasising the gender pay divide in healthcare.

In February, a BBC investigation revealed that senior NHS female doctors are earning less than their male counterparts, with only five women in the top 100 earning consultants in England. The new figures show that two of Scotland's NHS boards have no female consultants among their top 10 earners, with only two boards having as many as three women among their top 10 highest-paid medics.

The earnings of the highest-paid senior doctors varied across health boards from £285,000 in NHS Ayrshire and Arran to £139,000 in Shetland. Some health boards decided not to disclose information for its risked identifying individual consultants.

In terms of individual pay, men were being paid an average of approximately £93,790, up to four per cent more than women. However, this widened to almost 20 per cent when overtime and bonuses were included.

Simon Barker, BMA Scotland's consultants committee chairman, said: “While the medical workforce is today almost gender equal in numbers, there remains significant under-representation of women in senior roles that is particularly pronounced in certain specialties. There is also strong evidence that doctors who work less-than-full-time experience greater challenges in career progression, which has a disproportionate impact on women.

"When women do reach consultant grade posts, it is still the case that they find it more difficult to access additional sources of income on top of their basic contracted hours, such as additional locum or out of hours work, research projects and discretionary points."