Pay offer for doctors and dentists in training 2024 FAQs
The government and unions representing doctors and dentists in training in England have reached an agreement to put an offer to union members to end the current pay dispute.
FAQ 01: When will the outcome of the BMA referendum be known?
The BMA referendum is due to close at midnight on 15 September 2024, the outcome is expected to be announced by the BMA shortly after.
FAQ 02: When will payments be made?
If the offer is accepted following the BMA referendum, it is our expectation that doctors and dentists in training will receive the uplifts for 2023/24 and 2024/25 (including arrears) in November 2024, pay packets. If the offer is rejected the only uplift applied will be in line with the 2024-25 recommendations of the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB). The government’s response to the DDRB recommendations can be found in the written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
FAQ 03: Which employer is required to make the retrospective payments to eligible doctors/dentists?
Employers will need to ensure that they have up to date information for anyone in their employment for 2023/24 and for 2024/25 to cover the payments.
The ESR retrospective pay process will automatically generate the back pay at each of the relevant organisation(s) that the employee has been or is currently working at.
FAQ 04: Who will be eligible for backdated pay for 2023-24?
Doctors and dentists in training and locally employed doctors (LEDs) on mirroring terms and conditions, who were on the relevant pay codes for any period between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, are detailed in the table below. They will be eligible for the time that they were employed during this financial year, that is, it will be pro-rated if they joined halfway through the period.
| Staff group | Relevant pay codes |
|---|---|
| DiT 2016 pay codes | MF01-2, MC51-54, MS01-08, MS11-18 |
| LEDs on 2016 LED pay codes | MT01-05 |
| Any LED or pay protected doctors/dentists on 2002 DiT pay codes | MN13, MN35, MN37, MN39, MT57/8/9/60, MN21 and MN25 |
FAQ 05: Will the 2023-2024 uplift and backpay be fully funded?
The offer is now subject to a vote by eligible BMA members, so these costs were not included in the overall pressures the Chancellor set out on 29 July. However, the government remain committed to ensuring the NHS receives the funding it needs to pay for this offer.
The government have also confirmed that there will be no reduction in the availability or quality of frontline health and care services because of funding this offer, should it be accepted.
NHS England will be publishing guidance in due course.
FAQ 06: As an employer, what can be done now to prepare for a possible deal?
There are a number of actions that employers can take to prepare for implementation of the offer ahead of the ballot outcome.
- Ensure eligible current employee contact details and bank details on ESR are maintained in preparation for upcoming rotations. This will ensure any necessary payments post rotation can be made by the current employer.
- Secure contact details for anyone in employment for 2023/24 and for 2024/25 who is eligible for payment and has left the organisation. ESR will generate a retrospective payment for these doctors/dentists, and it will be the employer’s responsibility to confirm where the payment should be sent.
- Recalculate the annual pensionable pay for 2023/24 for all eligible doctors and dentists and identify those doctors and dentists that will need to move pension contribution tiers as a result of the uplift. Employers should use the 2023/24 member contribution structure, available from under the subheading ‘the previous contribution structure’ to calculate the contribution rate payable on the 2023/24 uplift. Revised pension contribution thresholds and pension contributions for the 2024/25 uplift will be generated by the processes available in ESR.
- Determine how the offer will be applied to those on unique local grade codes.
FAQ 07: We have discovered that a locally employed doctor (LED) was on a different pay code than the ones listed to receive the uplift, what can we do to ensure they are captured?
The pay offer between the government and the BMA stated that LED doctors on mirroring contracts should be included as part of the deal. It is our joint expectation that they would receive an equivalent pay uplift. If they are on a unique local grade code, the expectation is they receive the backdated uplift as per the government offer and that this is applied manually.
FAQ 08: Will doctors/dentists who have left the trust be captured?
Yes, if a doctor/dentist was employed at any point during the back pay period, ESR will generate a payment. Employers will then be responsible for ensuring these payments are passed to eligible individuals who they no longer employ. This includes doctors/dentists who have left the NHS completely or have moved abroad.
FAQ 09: How will back pay be calculate?
ESR will automatically calculate backpay for eligible doctors and dentists:
- on the pay codes noted above during the relevant period
- moving between training and non-training (LED) posts
- on out of programme (OOP) activities
- moving between full time and less than full time posts.
The ESR processes will need to be run to automatically calculate the pension contributions payable by doctors and dentists for the backpay that corresponds to the 2024/25 uplift.
Employers will need to undertake some additional manual calculations to ensure the backpay is applied correctly:
- Recalculate all relevant parental leave payments.
Recalculate the pension contributions payable by doctors and dentists on the 2023/24 uplift, as some may have moved between pension contribution tiers as a result of the backpay. These will need to be calculated with reference to the 2023/24 member contribution structure, under the subheading ‘the previous contribution structure’.
An ESR User Notice will be provided to employers in due course, confirming the actions required to manage this process.
FAQ 10: Do employers have discretion to implement backpay for LEDs mirroring the 2016 contract?
The government offer confirms the intention that LEDs mirroring the 2016 contract are in scope of this offer. This means they would receive an uplift of 3.71 per cent to the current 2023/24 pay scale. The government remain committed to ensuring the NHS receives the funding it needs to pay for this offer. There is a clear expectation that employers will implement the offer for eligible LEDs.
FAQ 11: What are the tax implications for employers with the pay award crossing tax years?
Income Tax will be deducted from the employee in the period that the payment is actually made, this should be reported on the normal full pay submission (FPS) submission to HMRC at the end of the period in which the payment has been made to the employee.
