Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration

Thursday 12th March 2015 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the 43rd report of the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (“the review body”). The report has been laid before Parliament today (Cm 9028). Copies of the reports are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office.

We thank the review body for its 43rd report and note its recommendations and observations. General practitioners and primary care staff more widely are at the centre of the NHS, and have an important role in ensuring the sustainability of the health service for future generations. That is why we have announced additional funding for primary care and why we are working to increase the size of the general practice workforce. It is also why we were pleased to be able to accept the DDRB’s recommendation of a 1% increase to GP pay.

Subject to the views of consultees, therefore, we intend:

in respect of general medical practitioners, to accept the review body’s recommendation for an increase of 1% to general medical practitioners' income. As the review body only made recommendations in respect of general medical practitioners’ income net of expenses, we intend to use the methods employed by the review body in previous years to calculate the overall contract uplift. The staff expenses element of the formula will be the maximum possible under public sector pay policy. The non-pay expenses element will be uplifted in line with the retail price index, excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX). On this basis, therefore, the uplift equates to 1.16% uplift to the overall value of general medical services contract payments for 2015-16; and

in respect of general dental practitioners , to accept the review body’s recommendation for an increase of 1% to general dental practitioners’ income. As the review body only made recommendations in respect of general dental practitioners’ income net of expenses, we intend to use the methods employed by the review body in previous years to calculate the overall contract uplift. The staff expenses element of the formula will be the maximum possible under public sector pay policy. The non-pay elements will be uplifted in line with either the retail price index (RPI) or the retail price index excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX). On this basis, therefore, the uplift equates to 1.34% uplift to the overall value of general dental services contract payments for 2015-16.

As stated in our evidence to the review body and recommended in the review body’s report, the minimum and maximum of the salary range for salaried general medical practitioners will be increased by 1% for 2015-16.

[HCWS405]