Resident doctors are set to vote on a government offer that would see them benefit from better pay, working conditions, and career progression. The offer, which was agreed upon by the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government, aims to put an end to the ongoing strikes.
The government has carefully listened to feedback provided by the BMA Resident Doctors Committee on behalf of their membership and worked with them to strengthen and clarify the offer originally made in March. The revised offer includes pay structure reform, leading to more frequent pay rises as doctors gain key competencies and demonstrate increasing capability.
Resident doctors would see an average pay rise of 4.9% this year, making them 35.2% better off than four years ago. There would be even higher pay rises for the lowest paid first year and second year doctors, at 6.2% and 7.1% respectively. The offer also includes reimbursement of mandatory Royal College portfolio fees and mandatory examinations costs, often worth thousands of pounds.
The offer would also raise the Flexible Pay Premia for clinical academic resident doctors to £10,000 in recognition of their unique contribution. To tackle training bottlenecks, the offer would see up to an additional 4,500 training posts implemented over the next three years, including 1,000 next year.
The ballot for the offer opened on Thursday 18 June and will close on 26 June. A simple majority will end the strikes long-term, bringing relief to patients and NHS staff who have been affected by the ongoing industrial action.