Cuts to pension tax relief deepen retention crisis for senior doctors

A survey published last week by the British Medical Association shows that six out of 10 consultant doctors (2446 out of 4089 respondents) are intending to retire from the NHS before or at the age of 60. The second biggest factor for this decision, after work-life balance, is current pension legislation. The survey also found that more than a third (36%) of consultants were expecting to reduce the number of days they work in the NHS by up to half (fig 1). More than 40% said they have or will stop taking part in initiatives to reduce waiting lists.1

“There aren’t enough doctors in any specialism as it is,” argues Rob Harwood, chair of the BMA consultants committee and a consultant anaesthetist. “We expect that in 15 years’ time we’ll have 25% too few anaesthetists, and having spoken to other colleges I think that’s about average [for all specialties]—no one is saying they have enough people. Consultants are the most experienced members of a team—the most experienced, most efficient, and most cost effective.”