May 26 2005
The announcement of a 3.225% pay increase for armed forces doctors by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body fails to address the continuing recruitment and retention crisis. Many doctors working in the armed forces will be bitterly disappointed at this missed opportunity to correct the disparity between pay for armed forces doctors and their civilian counterparts, the BMA warns today (26/5/05).
Dr Brendan McKeating, Chairman of the BMA Armed Forces Committee said:
"For many years, we have been calling on the Pay Review Body, and the government, to take the armed forces doctors' recruitment and retention crisis seriously. Once again, they have allowed pay for armed forces doctors to fall behind the significantly improved earnings available to GPs and consultants under the new NHS contracts. Pay and conditions are at the root of the problem and this year's award will do nothing to encourage doctors to join or stay in the military.
"In preparing our evidence to the Review Body we surveyed the opinions of armed forces doctors. We were alarmed to discover that almost half of those surveyed plan to leave the military within the next five years."
The BMA's survey of over 200 armed forces doctors covering all three military services also showed:
Almost half (48%) are working more than 50 hours per week Over half (54%) had been unable to take their annual leave entitlement Almost 1 in 10 (9%) doctors had spent over 100 days on deployment in the last year
Dr McKeating added:
"We were encouraged to note, that the Review Body states that the new NHS contracts for consultants and GPs should be the appropriate comparator for armed forces doctors, and that it recognises the recruitment and retention challenges facing the Defence Medical Services at this time.
"It is difficult to see, however, how the high level of medical support our armed forces personnel deserve can be maintained if nothing is done to discourage doctors from leaving the military. Armed forces doctors are becoming disadvantaged compared to civilian colleagues as they are working longer hours for less pay. These doctors are required to maintain specialised military skills in addition to the normal skills required by their civilian counterparts and it is high time that they were rewarded rather than penalised for serving Queen and Country."
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