Dr Tony Goldstone Profile picture
Radiologist/CIO. Director Goldstone PenFinTech. Dep Chair @bma_pensions. Nat Advisor BMA on Pensions (19-24). Passionate re NHS. Thoughts mine. Tweets personal
20 subscribers
Dec 12 5 tweets 2 min read
1/ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: Whilst I'm grateful for the changes to LTA/AA, the AA and the dreaded #taper still remain. And here's your regular reminder why its PARTICULARLY unfair, and stupid, in the NHS (from @BMA_Pensions @TheBMA evidence to DDRB).

Short 🧵pls read & share Image 2/ We are all in CARE now, so should all be paying generally the same employEE contributions.

But we aren't - and its worst - by a garden mile - in the NHS per this chart showing the ratio of conts from the highest earners : lowest earners in the public sector 👇Image
Dec 10 13 tweets 5 min read
1/ very important and NEW: @nhs_pensions have overnight issues guidance on 23/24 tax year where they have failed to send you a pensions savings statement on time (which was their legal duty)

nhsbsa.nhs.uk/public-service…Image
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2/ the bottom line is they expect you ESTIMATE your carry forward and PIA and any charge in the normal timescale ie by Jan 31st 2025 …. Which is going to be extremely difficult ….. Image
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Oct 30 27 tweets 7 min read
1/ Well after intense media speculation re: budget (speculation incl. reduction of tax free lump sum to £100k; flat rate relief at 30 or 20%; lifetime allowance re-introduction & pension "flexibility" [i.e. balance between pay & pension] .. speculation can now END....
Pls RT 🧵 Image 2/ Its now time for @RachelReevesMP to deliver her first budget ... I'll be live tweeting anything significant with a focus on #pensions and #pensiontax (if there is indeed anything!)

So keep following! Appologies for any typos/errors read to end for any corrections & docs Image
Oct 17 14 tweets 4 min read
1/ Longtime followers may remember this update from 4.5 years ago. Id met the then head of @nhs_pensions and the senior leadership team. They made lots of promises to improve things around Annual Allowance that BADLY needed improvement....

Pls read, share and RT 2/ Chief among those promises was to have an end to waiting till October for a PSS. Indeed no more brown envelopes. 85% of people would get their "digital brown envelope" by June (starting in 2020) 👇

Sep 7 4 tweets 2 min read
1/ ICYMI Ive done a couple of videos 📹 on the tapered annual allowance - and why it could be hugely problematic for higher earners in the NHS *THIS* tax year (24/25)

Its crucial you have an understanding of chart 👇 if you are in affected groups.

Please share 👇/ RT & 👀📹 Image 2/ This was the first of two videos introducing the problem via a real case study

I discuss why its crucial that @wesstreeting @jamesmurray_ldn get an urgent grip of the dreadful tax policies they inherited affecting lower and higher earning consultants

Aug 20 6 tweets 3 min read
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: many senior doctors desperate to help waiting lists & would be willing to give up evenings/weekends to help out.

But current tax rules will mean some could end up #PayingToWork 👇

RT if you want @wesstreeting @jamesmurray_ldn to fix this ludicrous tax trap Image 2/ Per the chart with taxable income 242,400 after income tax, NI and AA post tax pay is around 95,056.40

However the same member earning 199,999 also gets 95,083.88 post income tax, NI, and AA

Why would this member do over £40k extra work, and PAY TO WORK?? Image
Jun 29 33 tweets 16 min read
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)

We MUST fix pay/retention to fix #WaitingLists

Please read whole [long bumper] 🧵 & share widely/RT

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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 Image
Mar 29 35 tweets 17 min read
1/ NEW & IMPORTANT: LOTS of new data this week incl new pay data 28/3/24 👇 NEW charts incl NHS satisfaction (SPOILER: Its grim #MindTheGap)

MUST fix pay/retention to fix #WaitingLists- next GE WILL be won/lost on NHS.

Please read whole [long bumper] 🐇🧵 & share widely/RT

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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 Image
Feb 24 30 tweets 13 min read
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

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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%
Feb 22 6 tweets 3 min read
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

gov.uk/government/con…
Image 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 Image
Jan 15 11 tweets 5 min read
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 2/ This crucially important 📉shows

- 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) Image
Jan 7 15 tweets 7 min read
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. "
Jan 5 31 tweets 14 min read
1/ NEW & IMPORTANT: So we need to talk about NHS pay. NEW shocking [post DDRB] data just in 4/1/24 👇 (SPOILER: Not "fair & reasonable")

We need to fix pay/retention to fix waiting lists- increasingly clear next GE will won/lost on NHS

Please read whole 🧵 & share widely/RT

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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), and it was 👇chart from excellent @jburnmurdoch @FT that really showed this well Image
Dec 20, 2023 9 tweets 4 min read
1/ Very concerned about comments on waiting lists from @RishiSunak yesterday to @BrineMP to @CommonsLiaison

A number of factual errors need correcting IMHO ..... 2/ The PM states "I think what we have seen in the past month or so, when there has been no industrial action, you have seen the waiting list come down"

This is not correct.
Oct 1, 2023 25 tweets 11 min read
1/ NEW & IMPORTANT: OK on the eve of junior/consultant strikes, we need to talk about these charts (NEW data just in!) 👇

We need to look at them to fix waiting lists & its increasingly clear next GE will be won or lost on the NHS

Please read the whole 🧵 & share widely / RT

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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), and it was 👇chart from excellent @jburnmurdoch @FT that really showed this well Image
Sep 20, 2023 29 tweets 12 min read
1/ Another 🧵 on lies, damned lies, & statistics (@SteveBarclay did another media round yesterday)

I've seen some rather misleading use of statistics on the BBC & eslewhere on doctors pensions... so lets dig a bit deeper into Mr. Barclay's stats

Please read all & share / RT Image @SteveBarclay 2/ So lets start by rewinding to August when Mr Barclay was on @BBCr4today with @bbcnickrobinson

He claimed then (somewhat laughably) that consultants can retire NOW (my emphasis) at 65, with a *TAX FREE* pension of £73,000 Image
Sep 8, 2023 12 tweets 5 min read
1/ V IMPORTANT & BREAKING:

McCloud part 2 consultation is out covering lots of crucially important aspects i.e. contingent decisions.

Extensive involvement from @bma_pensions in the response

gov.uk/government/con…
Image 2/ Where members have opted out 6 months before the remedy peripod (i.e. 6/12 before 1st April 2015) to the end of the remedy period (31st March 2022) will be able to buy back lost service with a "low bar" for evidence Image
Aug 14, 2023 13 tweets 3 min read
1/ 🧵I can't keep up with Mr Barclay's claims about consultant's pensions, last month (17th July @thetimes) it was £60,000 pensions, now the claim is "consultants when they retire *now* aged 65 will get a *tax-free* pension of £73,000" ?! https://t.co/jQasjwUTsu
Image 2/ I suspect Mr. Barclay is being very badly advised by his advisors (or is asking the wrong questions). So lets clear a couple of points up

(1) Firstly as to "retiring now aged 65", thats cloud cuckoo land. Average age for retirees for consultants is around 60 (& 59 for GPs)
Aug 5, 2023 9 tweets 4 min read
1/This is the shockingly poor reality of the deal offered @BMACymru👇

Even just looking at the 3 year period from 2021-24, would see welsh junior docs fall 19.6% below RPI inflation by the end of that period.

Are Welsh juniors worth a *FIFTH LESS* in just 3 years. Disgraceful! https://t.co/ZG6gTTU2Xg
Image 2/ Offering just 5% for 23/24 is an absolute disgrace compared for example to @BMAScotland who have been offered 12.4% for 23/24

Its even below the "rigged" (according to a @Conservatives MP) DDRB suggesting 6%

Disgraceful! Image
Jul 20, 2023 29 tweets 10 min read
1/ Short 🧵 on lies, damned lies, & statistics

I've seen some rather misleading use of statistics on the BBC / Sky today, its not clear whether they dont understand the differences, or they are trying to mislead

Please read all & share / RT Image 2/ First of all lets rewind back a couple of months to @CommonsHealth from May of this year with @BrineMP chair of that committee disputing the 35% pay restoration figure (juniors) with the excellent @ERunswickBMA
Jul 15, 2023 17 tweets 8 min read
1/ VITAL🧵 So people have had a couple of days to digest the DDRBs "independent" reports & their imposition by governemnt.

TLDR;they represent further MASSIVE pay cuts.

Lets start with some history and look at what happened BEFORE the current high inflation

Pls read all/RT Image 2/ Just before inflation started to bite "junior doctors" avg gross pay were some 14.3% below CPI (government preferred measure of inflation, RPI is much worse) and consultants down 17.1% vs CPI.

Lets call that "Austerity 1.0"
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