Thread by @DustynSaint

So for anybody wondering what the (almost whispered) “out of existing budgets” after the “NHS staff to get a pay rise of 3%” headline means, I’ll try to explain. Hospitals, community, mental Heath providers and GP surgeries get funding from the NHS for providing services 1/4

The “out of existing budgets” means that all of those organisations will not get any increase in their funding to pay for the pay rise. Given that staff costs account for a very large proportion of any providers costs, 3% increases will result in a big hike in their spend 2/4

So providers like hospitals will have to pay their staff the 3% and then ultimately pay fewer of them because that’s the only way that they can remain in their budgets. So patient care gets worse and staff have to do a lot more work as there will be fewer of them 3/4

For GP surgeries any left over income is what the GP partners take home as pay. So for GP partners the 3% pay rise will cost them a lot more (25k for our practice)and this will reduce their own pay by this amount-increasing chances of leaving and worsening patient care 4/4

Oh and given these partners are the ones who are bought into the practice and there for the long haul, as a patient you can expect to see less long term relationships with your GP and a much more transactionally based service….