news Winter 2022
+ What now for NHS doctors? Many in the medical profession have expressed disappointment that the new chancellor Jeremy Hunt failed to tackle punitive pension taxes in his Autumn Statement.
“Grant an immediate exemption for doctors to public sector pension rules which are currently forcing them to retire in their fifties in alarming numbers.”
Before he took up his new position, Mr Hunt had used his social media channels to condemn taxes such as the Annual Allowance and Lifetime Allowance which are forcing mnay doctors to retire early or reduce hours.
While the chancellor did use his fiscal statement to commit to a workforce plan to set out how the NHS will train, recruit and retain its staff, he did not amend the taxation rules which are currently hampering any efforts of keeping much-needed, highly- skilled employees when they are facing substantial backlogs.
He has himself described the situation as a ‘national scandal’. Back in August he tweeted: “Staff shortages & morale have never been worse. If the NHS continues this spiral of decline with ambulances, A&Es & GP surgeries all in serious crisis, we’ll see avoidable deaths mount up this winter. Staff know there’s no silver bullet, but they need to know there’s a plan.” Mr Hunt then offered his own suggestions with his top priority being a recruitment drive followed by a pension tax overhaul: Medical Family Finance News Winter 2022
Earlier this year, the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration also urged the government to review NHS pensions after the NHS Business Services Authority reported a 35 per cent surge in retirement applications. The chancellor did announce a £3.3billion increase in NHS funding in each of the next two years with a view to achieving ‘Scandinavian quality alongside Singaporean efficiency’.