The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has joined the BMA and other medical bodies in signing a letter to the Chancellor, urging him to use the budget to provide a long-term solution to the pension taxation crisis.
The letter asks the Chancellor to provide a solution that will enable all doctors and allied health professionals to do the extra work that patients desperately need without the fear of incurring unexpected pension tax bills.
The eleven signatories, including RCP president Professor Andrew Goddard, represent tens of thousands of hospital doctors and GPs. They are clear that the medical profession is facing an intolerable dilemma: incur a disproportionate and ever-expanding pensions tax bill or cut short their service to the NHS, reducing hours or turning down vital additional work.
They write:
‘We are encouraged that the government has committed to announcing a resolution to this issue in the budget, but it must be the right one; one which will safeguard the NHS workforce for the long term.'
'We are past the point when significant action should have been taken. The NHS is amid a workforce crisis, with rising waiting times for cancer and routine surgery. A&E performance is at its worst since records began and 11 million patients are experiencing unacceptable waiting times for GP appointments.'
The letter is available here.
Find out more about how pension tax is affecting doctors here.
