Government must not undermine confidence of senior doctors in their pensions

Commenting on the BMJ investigation into the rise in the number of doctors retiring early, Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers and deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said:

“To guard against the risk of even more staff leaving the service we must put their wellbeing at the centre of our recovery plans and this must be underpinned by urgent investment to address long-standing vacancies.

“For their part health service employers are committed to supporting colleagues to work flexibly, and to ‘retire and return’ so that valuable experience and skills are not lost to the NHS. They are also clear that the Government must not act in a way that undermines the confidence of senior doctors in their pensions.

 “In simple terms the Chancellor must ensure that NHS staff are protected from new taxes on their pension savings.”