2/18 Firstly this is NOT and never was a "COVID" backlog. As I have repeatedly pointed out the backlog has building over a decade, only worsened by but not caused by COVID.
A key part of that has been - as acknowledged by the authors - the interaction with pension taxation
3/18 BUT the problem is not limited to consultants "not taking additional work" - far from it. That particular problem, largely driven by the tapered AA was/is real, but a much bigger threat is reduction in activity (from reduced sessions) and loss of activity by early retirement
4/18 Repeated surveys from Royal Colleges & unions including @TheBMA have shown this - and moreover whereas the withdrawal of additional activity (i.e. waiting list activity) may be temporary, a much bigger threat is reduction of hours or retirement, more often permanent
5/18 It were these actions in 2019, which remain very much live and current today - and most certainly have not been fixed by tweaking the taper thresholds - which remain a potent threat to elective recovery
6/18 So far from being a "covid backlog" it were front pages such as these which left government to need to take emergency action in 2019 (AA compensation scheme) and 2020 (March budget with taper tweak)
7/18 .@thebma were crystal clear with government that the taper changes were not enough to resolve the issues caused by pension taxation. And then in 2021 came the announcement that the lifetime allowance would be frozen (previously increasing annually by inflation).
8/18 LTA was frozen in 2021 - @BMA_Pensions surveyed >8000 consultants & GPs - terrible for retention (72% said LTA freeze⬆️likely retire early; 61% ⬆️ likely work fewer hours). With⬆️inflation, LTA falling REALLY fast - this is going to be a *big* problem @RishiSunak@sajidjavid
9/18 There is very clear evidence of a strong association between the fall (in real terms) of the lifetime allowance - and voluntary early retirement. Whilst some will retire & return this is almost universally on less activity and some will retire for good.
10/18 This is loss of our most experienced clinicians often very much at the peak of their career with so much more to give not only in service but also in training the next generation.
11/18 So coming full circle to the excellent report on waiting times by @dnepo@aneelbhangu - what does the future hold? Well at current levels of activity, could see waiting lists increase to 14.6m by 2030 😔
12/18 As I have repeatedly said since well before the waiting list crisis in 2019 - the key enabler to resolving the waiting list crisis is RETENTION @Jeremy_Hunt.
Training new consultant surgeons (and other critical team members) takes well over a decade.
13/18 Our only hope to turn around the waiting list crisis is to retain the existing workforce - and crucially not only enable them to do additional activity, but also to work as many sessions as they are able / want to, and to work as long as they want.
14/18 Current scheme rules and pension taxation make it extremely unfavorable for those over 59 (or sometime even earlier than this) to carry on working in the NHS
15/18 We @bma_pensions wish that were not the case, but I am afraid it is. And with soaring inflation (and associated increased AA charges and a rapidly falling lifetime allowance) that position will only deteriorate and it will do so quickly.
16/18 So if government want to turn this around, and I would politely suggest they *really* need to, please urgently speak to us about solutions which *will* work (like late retirement factors, and a tax unregistered scheme like offered to the judges).
17/18 Lets completely uncouple the desire to work as many sessions as one wants, and to retire when you want, from punitive tax charges. Lets make it #paytostay & sort these horrific waiting lists as soon as possible. Lets choose an "optimistic scenario"👇 by turning this around
1/ NEW & IMPORTANT: Quarterly NHS pay data updated 27/6/24 👇 In BREAKING NEWS NEW charts now show ALL SECTORS have reached #FullPayRestoration (though NOT, of course, the NHS)
2/ You'll notice when ministers are in the media, they often talk about how hard "your viewers/listeners" have been hit by inflation. But what we need to do is separate fact from fiction (aka LIES), it was 👇excellent @jburnmurdoch @FT chart that really showed this well last year
@jburnmurdoch @FT 3/ But its not just government ministers gaslighting NHS workers that they have no right for their pay to keep up (like everyone else's), it was also so-called "independent" DDRB👇
Apparently doctors & dentists should not be protected when "its not taking place in other groups"
2/ You'll notice when ministers are in the media, they often talk about how hard "your viewers/listeners" have been hit by inflation. But what we need to do is separate fact from fiction (aka LIES), it was 👇excellent @jburnmurdoch @FT chart that really showed this well last year
@jburnmurdoch @FT 3/ But its not just government ministers gaslighting NHS workers that they have no right for their pay to keep up (like everyone else's), it was also so-called "independent" DDRB👇
Apparently doctors & dentists should not be protected when "its not taking place in other groups"
1/ *VERY* concerned about the quality & type of information coming to @BMA_Pensions members to allow them to make choices in regards to McCloud.
For members who chose to move to 2008 (so called "choice 2", we saw the first of this information last week - deep dive 🧵
Pls RT
2/ OK first of all, lets rewind. Pre 2008 we were all in the 1995 section. For most members that had a fixed retirement age of 60, and gave us "80ths" of final salary. Work 40 years, get 40/80ths or 1/2 of your final salary. Simple. Back in the day contributions were 5% or 6%
3/ As we all started to live longer, government felt this was unnafordable as we were spending longer in retirement. So they introduced the 2008 scheme
- 1/60th not 1/80ths
- Retire at 65 not 60
- So called "Reckonable" pay - based on best of 3yr in last 10, inflation adjusted
1/ NEW: Consultation response out & confirmaiton of rates 1st April '24 , dropping the 13.5% tier.
Grateful government listened to concerns about feezing the top tier so tiers WILL uplift with CPI, not creating (another) "fiscal drag" for higher earners
2/ This repesents a change from previously announced where tiers were to be uplifts of AFC awards (largest employee group). I had suggested a "double lock" of greater of CPI or announced awards, which was supported by the scheme board, but sadly rejected by government
3/ @BMA_Pensions again raised concerns that the @nhs_pensions has a higher contribution rate than many public sector schemes, and has the steepest structure.
We continue believe it should be much flatter, or flat, in a CARE scheme will all paying the same for the same £1 pension
1/ NEW & BREAKING: @instituteforgov supported in analysis by @CIPFA issue an UPDATED pay erosion chart for NHS workers including @TheBMA doctors & @theRCN nurses👇
WHY is this so relevant: This now includes pay data released in '24 to Sept '23 INCLUDING 6/12 of 23/24 pay awads
- pay erosion in NHS from austerity
- uses CPI preferred by gvmnt & some economists
- crucially shows 6/12 effect of DDRB 23/24- starting basis for all pay deals (i.e. not a lot)
@RobLaurensonD4P @_VivekTrivedi @TheBMA @BMA_Consultants @BMA_JuniorDocs @Doctors_Vote 3/ So this chart uses the latest available data (released in 2024) includes the latest pay deals
Despite this @BMA_JuniorDocs down a STAGGERING 25.0% in real terms
REMEMBER: This is using CPI, not RPI, which would produce a higher figure (RPI includes mortgage interest etc)
1/ *Deeply* worrying from @RishiSunak @10DowningStreet on @bbclaurak
Watch the clip in full 👇and pick out the blatant untruths - its so unbelievable they went unchallenged Laura K?
Apparently "The government has now reached resolution with every other part of the NHS. ....
2/ "Nurses, midwives, paramedics, consultant doctors, specialty doctors most recently. "
"So EVERY other part of the NHS workforce, and I'm grateful to them for everything they're doing, has reached a resolution with the government on a reasonable, fair pay settlement. "
3/ According to our PM
"The only people that haven't are the junior doctors."
How can this go unchallanged?
To be clear @BMA_Consultants (nor @BMA_SAS) have *NOT* "reached a resolution with government on a "reasonable, fair pay settlement"