Hospital doctors warn Budget offers little respite and warn: ‘The devil’s in the detail’
Following today’s Budget announcement, HCSA Head of Industrial Relations Joe Chattin said: “Many hospital doctors face a deepening personal crisis due to workplace stress and pressure to hit targets in short-staffed departments. This Budget unfortunately appears to offer little respite.
“The headline figure is around half of that required and of course the devil is in the detail. The Chancellor spoke of £2.45 billion in additional NHS spending from next year to 2019-20, but the Department of Health resource budget will be just £700 million higher over the period. So what will be squeezed to make the figures add up?
“NHS hospital doctors will welcome a one-off £350m of winter funding to ease seasonal pressure, and capital funding to help struggling Trusts and assist with some of the costs of transformation.
“However, the absence of any mention of hospital doctors’ salaries will add to growing unease about the future stability of the profession.
“Real-terms wages have declined by thousands for doctors over the past seven years and inevitably this drop, compounded by detrimental changes to pensions, is leading growing numbers to consider quitting the profession or the country.”