Health

BMA Cymru Wales to put pay offer to doctors in pay dispute

Published

2 years ago

June 7, 2024

DOCTORS’ union the BMA has secured pay offers for doctors working in secondary care in Wales following pay talks with the Welsh Government.

Members of BMA Cymru Wales including Junior doctors, SAS doctors and Consultants will now vote on whether to accept the three separate offers.

Junior doctors have been offered a 7.4% additional uplift taking the total to a 12.4% uplift for the 23/24 financial year and will be back dated to April 2023.

A revised consultant pay scale is proposed, which provides higher career earnings, significantly better starting pay, and an additional pay rise of up to 10.1% for some consultant doctors.

For SAS doctors, pay offers for newer contracts include increases of 6.1-9.2%, as well as an additional uplift for associate specialists, senior doctors who are on closed contracts.

The offers, which also include non-pay elements and reform of pay scales and contract terms,* are the result of weeks of pay negotiations which began in April this year after sustained pressure from BMA Cymru Wales including 10 days of strike action by junior doctors and planned industrial action by senior doctors which were suspended last month to start the talks.

From Wednesday 12 June to 26 June members will vote on whether to accept the offers.

Dr Oba Babs Osibodu and Dr Peter Fahey co-chairs of the BMA’s Welsh Junior Doctors Committee said: “We entered pay negotiations in good faith to reach a deal that will put us on the path to achieving full pay restoration to address the years of erosion to our pay We’re satisfied that this offer delivers on our ambition. This offer puts us well on the path to pay restoration.

“We are therefore encouraging members to vote to accept this deal. It is a testament to the resolve they have shown in taking part in industrial action to achieve a better future for the profession

Dr Stephen Kelly, chair of BMA Cymru Wales’ Consultants committee said: “We are pleased to have been able to reach an offer that we believe honours our overwhelming strike mandate and offers significant improvements in pay for consultants across their careers.

“The offer is recognition of the hard work and dedication of senior doctors and signifies a commitment to attracting and retaining doctors in Wales by offering a fairer more competitive value for their service.

“Whilst ultimately it will be up for members to decide, we believe the offer is a big step in the right direction for the profession and so we are recommending that members accept it. We will continue to work hard to improve your pay and working conditions, and we understand this is just the first step.”

Dr Ali Nazir, chair of BMA Cymru Wales’ SAS doctor committee said: “We are pleased to be able to bring an offer worthy of the hard work and dedication shown by SAS doctors in Wales. We know voting to take industrial action was a very difficult decision for our members but in voting to strike they were choosing to stand up for themselves and their colleagues.

“By taking part and getting us here they have played a part in securing a better future for SAS doctors in Wales. We are encouraging members to vote to accept this offer.”

In August last year the BMA’s committees representing all secondary care doctors in Wales voted to enter a trade dispute with the Welsh Government after being offered another below inflation pay uplift of just 5% for the 23/24 financial year.

The RCN in wales has responded. Helen Whyley, Executive Director of Royal College of Nursing Wales said: “All NHS workers deserve a proper pay rise, but nursing staff are still waiting at the back of the queue. They feel let down and misled by this government.”

“The repeated firm position from the Welsh government that there was no money in the pot for NHS nursing staff salaries was either untrue or demonstrates that they can’t
manage their finances. Either way it shows a total disregard to principle of equity of approach to NHS negotiations.”

“Actions speak louder than words. This announcement comes only
days after the First Minister opened our annual RCN Congress on home soil in Newport, speaking of his unwavering support for nursing staff. It shows his government support is merely hot air and no real commitment. His government have failed to fulfil the promises
made to nurses in last year’s pay award and now they add insult to that injury by substantially increasing only the doctors’ pay award for 2023/24.”

“Congress saw the RCN launch its general election manifesto, with the leading priority being a substantial pay rise for all nursing staff. The nursing workforce highlighted
inadequate staffing levels, treating patients in corridors, limited or no access to continuing professional development and the increased demands of delivering patient care. All of these pressures lead to severe moral distress, leading to an increase in nursing
staff so overwhelmed with pressure from work that they even considered taking their own lives. This is unacceptable.

“All health care staff deserve to be paid fairly and be recognised for the safety critical work that they do. Our members will be deeply discouraged to hear that their
sacrifices and unrelenting efforts during the RCN Wales pay campaign in Wales has been cast aside by Welsh government.

“We will be urgently raising this with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and the First Minister urging them to address fair pay for nursing now.”

Eluned Morgan MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said on Friday (Jun 6): “We have today made a formal pay award offer to each of the three BMA branches of practices – junior doctors, SAS doctors and consultants – for 2023-24, following successful negotiations over the last two months.

“We would like to thank members of the BMA’s negotiating teams and NHS Employers for the constructive nature of the talks, which have enabled us to make these formal offers, which will now be put to the BMA membership for consideration. Each of the three BMA elected representative committees are recommending members accept the offers.

“While strike action has been paused during negotiations, if these offers are accepted, it will end this dispute and industrial action, meaning doctors will return to work in Wales for the benefit of patients and NHS services.

“The negotiations have been robust and while the aim was to end the 2023-24 dispute and prevent further disruptive strike action, these offers also ensure the additional investment in doctors’ pay is balanced against commitments towards operational reforms, which seek to address productivity and efficiency and achieving future contract reform. These pay awards, if accepted, will also help to address inequalities in the senior NHS medical workforce.

“These offers are at the limit of our affordability. We have been open and transparent about our financial constraints with our social partners during negotiations.”

The Welsh Government confirmed that for Junior Doctors, the offer consists of a 12.4% pay uplift, backdated to 1 April 2023. This includes the 5% pay lift for 2023-24, which has already been paid. If agreed, this offer is outside of the Doctor and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) recommendation for 2023-24. This offer is in line with the pay award accepted by junior doctors in Scotland.

It was confirmed that all parties will commit to re-entering contract negotiations as soon as practicable once a new BMA junior doctors committee is elected this year with the ambition of reaching an agreement that, subject to approval by BMA members, would begin implementation in 2025-26. The contract negotiations will build on the contract rejected in 2022, while recognising that significant changes will be required.

The Welsh Government and the BMA Welsh consultant committee have agreed the time is right to reform the current pay structure, which is more than 20 years old. A modern pay structure will better support recruitment and retention, better reward performance, address the gender pay gap, and support progression through the career of consultants in Wales. The new pay structure will be backdated to 1 January 2024. If this offer is agreed, it will be outside the DDRB recommendation for 2023-24.

The BMA rate card will be withdrawn if the offer is accepted with immediate effect at both local and national levels in Wales.

All parties have agreed to an all-Wales job planning policy being developed and implemented during 2024-25 along with an NHS Wales recruitment template for newly-recruited consultants in Wales.

It has also been agreed that scoping work will be undertaken during 2024-25 in preparation for contract reform talks. Any reformed contract will need to be fully modernised against current and future requirements of the NHS Wales for the benefit of patients and the wellbeing of consultants.

In 2021, a new specialty doctor contract was agreed in social partnership and implemented as part of a multi-year pay deal. This offer addresses the unintended imbalances in the pay scale for doctors on the 2021 contract and the 2008 contract to ensure consistency and fairness across the specialty doctor workforce.

This investment will encourage more doctors to take up the new contracts, which offer modernised terms and conditions to ensure that doctors and patients benefit from the reformed contract and working conditions.

In 2021, a new specialist doctor contract was agreed in social partnership and implemented as part of a multi-year pay deal. This offer addresses the unintended imbalances between the specialty doctor and specialist pay scales to ensure a career progression pathway is maintained across the workforce. It will resolve the current issue that exists where the top pay point of the 2008 specialty doctor pay scale is higher than the starting salary for the specialist grade.

The Welsh Government says it has listened to the BMA Welsh SAS committee and while recognising this is a closed grade, recognises the rationale for associate specialists to receiving comparable levels of pay against the consultant pay scale, given the skills and experience of associate specialists working on consultant rotas.

A spokesperson said: “The offer includes uplifting the 2022-23 pay scales by a further 4%, making a total of 9% for 2023-24 backdated to 1 January 2024 for associate specialists.

“The BMA rate card will be withdrawn if the offer is accepted with immediate effect at both local and national levels in Wales.

“Full details of each pay offer will be communicated through BMA Wales to their members.

“We would like to take this opportunity to encourage doctors who have any questions about the offer to speak to their BMA representatives as this is a fair offer to address the pay dispute.

“We look forward to working in social partnership with all NHS and health trade unions to discuss the 2024-25 pay award.”

Community

Health chiefs to be questioned over Withybush hospital service changes

Published

1 hour ago

May 18, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

HEALTH BOARD members are to be quizzed by Pembrokeshire councillors next month over changes to services at Withybush Hospital.

At the March meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, an emergency notice of motion by the council’s 11-strong Conservative Party group demanded that the Welsh Government immediately reverses the decision to cease emergency general surgery at Withybush Hospital.

Last year, Hywel Dda University Health Board consulted with its communities on options for change in critical care, dermatology, emergency general surgery, endoscopy, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, stroke, radiology and urology.

At a two-day meeting earlier this year, the board, amongst its many other decisions, backed changes into emergency general surgery which will see no emergency general surgery operations taking place at Withybush, but a strengthening of the same-day emergency care (SDEC).

At the March council meeting, the Conservative council group, led by Cllr Di Clements, proposed a motion which read: “This council requests that the Labour Welsh Government intervenes in Hywel Dda University Health Board’s recent decision to cease emergency general surgery at Withybush hospital and immediately reverses their decision.

“We believe removing this service critically undermines the sustainability of Withybush hospital’s A&E department.

“Also, the decision by the Health Board does not take into account the impact and potential serious risks it will have on Pembrokeshire residents.”

Cllr Clements’ supporting statement, which included a call for the-then Leader Cllr Jon Harvery to write to the First Minister and Welsh Government, said Pembrokeshire residents “have seen continual downgrading of services over the years, and this has been detrimental to all residents,” adding: “We believe this recent decision is life threatening to those who need emergency surgery and a matter of resident’s safety.”

At the meeting, Cllr Michael John said “there had been an erosion of services for many years,” supporting Cllr Clements’ call, but proposing the addition of calling on the health board to meet with councillors.

Following the request by Cllr Clements, Leader Cllr Jon Harvey agreed to any letter writing, saying he had “fought long and hard to return services to Withybush”.

Members backed Cllr Clements’ call, with Cllr John’s amendment added.

Since then an update was received at the May 14 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.

A report for members said, following the March meeting, Cllr Harvey, wrote to the-then First Minister Eluned Morgan on March 10, with Chief Executive Will Bramble also writing to the chief executive of Hywel Dda University Health Board advising him of council’s decision on the same date, requesting his and the Board chair’s attendance at the May council meeting.

It said, since then, Health Board Chair Dr Neil Wooding and Chief Executive Professor Phil Kloer have agreed to attend an Extraordinary Meeting of the council on June 15 to brief the council on service changes and specifically the issue of emergency general surgery, with members having the opportunity to ask questions on the presentation.

Members agreed to note the report ahead of the special June meeting.

Health

Nursing warning over ‘deadly mix’ of staff shortages and complex care

Published

12 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

RCN says patients are at growing risk as nurses report unsafe staffing levels

NURSING leaders have warned that collapsing growth in the registered nurse workforce, combined with increasingly complex patient needs, is creating a “deadly mix” for patients.

The Royal College of Nursing said staff across hospital and community settings are being left struggling to keep people safe, with more than a quarter saying nurse numbers on their last shift were so far below what was needed that there was a high risk of harm.

The warning comes from the RCN’s latest Last Shift survey, which gathered responses from more than 13,000 nursing staff across the UK.

Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN’s General Secretary and Chief Executive, is expected to tell more than 3,000 frontline nursing staff at the union’s annual Congress in Liverpool that governments are failing in their duty to keep patients safe.

She will say that widespread registered nurse vacancies are always unsafe, but that the risk is now being made worse by an ageing and sicker population with more complex needs.

Four in five nursing staff said clinical complexity had increased over the past two years, while only one in ten said staffing was at the right level to meet all patient needs. More than two thirds said they were being forced to make difficult decisions about which care to prioritise.

In Wales, nurses and health care support workers described growing pressure across wards and community services.

A nurse working on an older people’s ward in the NHS in Wales said: “We need to increase the agreed establishment; nurse to patient ratio due to increasing acuity, dependency and complexity of patients’ condition and presentation.

“More and more patients are now presenting with worsening cognitive function and often display challenging behaviour.”

A health care support worker from an inpatient mental health unit in Wales said: “Our ward has been bombarded with high acuity for around a year now and staffing levels have barely seen an increase.”

The RCN said the findings also show the toll on staff wellbeing. More than three quarters of respondents said they felt emotionally exhausted on their last shift, with exhaustion highest among those who said their shift was understaffed.

RCN Wales Executive Director Nicola Williams said: “Nursing staff across Wales are telling us clearly that staffing levels are not matching the complexity and intensity of care patients now need.

“Too many shifts are operating without enough registered nurses to deliver safe and effective care.

“When more than a quarter of nursing staff describe staffing levels as unsafe and nearly half report compromised care, we need to listen and take action to address it.”

She said members were “going above and beyond every day” but were demoralised, missing breaks and having training time cancelled.

Ms Williams added: “They cannot continue carrying the burden of workforce shortages indefinitely. Emotional exhaustion is becoming normalised across the profession and that is dangerous for staff, patients and the future sustainability of services.

“The newly elected Welsh Government must urgently invest in growing and retaining the nursing workforce, ensure they have the training they require, alongside delivering safe staffing levels that are properly planned and enforced.

“Without action, patient safety risks will continue to grow.”

The RCN said the survey showed an urgent need for workforce investment, robust nurse staffing plans based on patient need, and action to improve recruitment and retention across Wales.

Health

Occupational therapists urge Welsh Government to act before NHS crisis deepens

Published

18 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Tom Sinclair

More than 300 professionals sign open letter calling for prevention-focused care and urgent reform

OCCUPATIONAL therapists across Wales are urging the new Welsh Government to act before pressure on the NHS and social care system deepens further.

More than 300 members of the Royal College of Occupational Therapists in Wales have signed an open letter calling for a major shift towards prevention, early intervention and care closer to home.

They say too much support is currently arriving only after people have reached crisis point.

The therapists argue that earlier help in the community could reduce hospital admissions, ease pressure on overstretched services and improve lives across Wales.

Occupational therapists work across the health and care system, supporting premature babies and families in neonatal care, helping children take part in school, enabling adults to stay in or return to work, and helping older people live safely in their own homes.

The Royal College says the profession is often overlooked, despite playing a vital role in keeping people independent and reducing demand on hospitals.

Its members are calling for five key changes, including embedding occupational therapists in every community healthcare cluster, improving workforce planning, putting prevention at the heart of health policy, ending inconsistencies in provision, and opening leadership roles to occupational therapists.

Paul Smith, RCOT Policy and Public Affairs Lead for Wales, said: “Wales can’t afford to keep waiting for a crisis to happen.

“Occupational therapists are already preventing hospital admissions, easing pressure on stretched services and supporting people to do the occupations they want and need to do.

“But they need to be positioned to provide the right support at the right time to make maximum impact.”

The call comes amid continued concern over waiting times, delayed discharges and pressure on hospitals, including in rural parts of Wales where patients often face long journeys for care.

RCOT says ministers, health boards, councils and sector leaders must now work with the profession to ensure people receive the right support earlier, closer to home, and before problems spiral into crisis.