In a break from policy, the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA) has weighed-in on the decision not to award a pay rise for NHS staff in Budget 2021.
In a statement issued today (3 March 2021), Professor Ravi Mahajan, President of the RCoA said the decision will be a blow to the many who have worked incredibly hard during the pandemic, often at huge personal cost.
“As the Chancellor rightly said today, the NHS is deserving of immense praise for its efforts during the pandemic. Therefore, it is disappointing to not hear any substantial announcements on health service or social care funding,” he said.
“Anaesthetists and other healthcare colleagues have been working front-and-centre during the pandemic to care for critically ill patients with and without COVID. It is these staff who are the driving force behind the NHS’s recovery efforts,” the president said.
“Although, we normally refrain from making comments on wages, on this occasion we encourage the Chancellor to fund an increase in wages after the NHS Pay Review in May, as without this, we risk an increasing workforce pressure due to potential exodus from an already stretched NHS,” the statement says.
Prof Mahajan said the freeze on the lifetime pension allowance for pensions is likely to increase workforce pressures and might for some people to reduce hours or take early retirement.
“Government funding during the pandemic was very welcome. We now call to see the same determination going into the next big challenge - tackling the backlog of elective surgery across England and the devolved nations. In the short-term this will mean investment in wellbeing packages for staff and in the long-term, a funded workforce strategy that not only works to fill the gaps now, but looks to future-proof the NHS.
