NHS Pension Scheme consultation - RCPCH responds

The government is consulting on proposals to make the NHS Pension Scheme more flexible and transparent for senior clinicians.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock, is asking consultants, GPs and other senior clinicians for their views on proposals to change NHS pensions. The changes will allow clinicians to take on extra work whilst caring for patients, without fear of receiving higher tax bills.

In response to the consultation, Dr Mike Linney, Registrar for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Dr Peter-Marc Fortune, President of the Paediatric Intensive Care Society (PICS), said:

It’s welcome news for our members to hear that the Health Secretary is going to consult further on ways to solve the looming pensions crisis. We have already received concerns from colleagues regarding the impact this may have in children’s critical care this winter and know that the pensions issue plays a key factor in workforce retention. We look forward to working in collaboration to explore further options to fix this growing problem before it becomes a catastrophe.