The 6% uplift to the GP contract to fund pay rises for practice staff and salaried GPs in England will be applied ‘shortly’, NHS England (NHSE) has promised as it also announced that other doctors will start to receive their pay rises from this month.
The increase to GP funds is currently being discussed by the BMA’s GP Committee, NHSE, and Department of Health and Social Care but will be backdated to April 2023, it was confirmed. The 6% pay rise awarded to general practice staff excludes GP partners.
Meanwhile, NHSE said around 150,000 doctors in England, including those in training, consultants, and Speciality and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors, will start to receive their pay rise this September. This will also be backdated to April 2023.
The average junior doctor is getting an 8.8% increase and consultants, 6%.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said the pay rise was above that of most in the public and private sectors.
‘We have worked at speed to ensure they will start receiving this in their pay packets this month,’ he said. He also called on the BMA to end further strike action.
Last week, the BMA announced that junior doctors and consultants in England will jointly undertake four days of strike action.
Across September and October, for the first time in the history of the NHS, there will be four days in which junior doctors and consultants coordinate industrial action. This is in addition to other days on which junior doctors only or consultants only will be on strike.
Consultants in England will be striking 19 and 20 September, with ‘Christmas Day’ levels of cover.
Junior doctors will join the strike on 20 September, also with ‘Christmas Day’ levels of cover. They will continue to full walkouts on 21 and 22 September.
Both consultants and junior doctors will be striking 2, 3, and 4 October, again with Christmas Day’ levels of cover.
Last month, the BMA advised GPs to explain to practice staff that they have not yet received money to fund a 6% pay rise promised by the Government.
At the end of July, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) created a letter template for practice nurse members to send to their employers seeking implementation of the promised pay rise as soon as possible.
