• The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has published a letter on the impact of NHS pensions taxation.
• It warns that the rules are not only affecting service provision, but also staff morale.
• It reported that three quarters of anaesthetists have reduced their hours while almost a quarter of obstetricians and gynaecologists were considering retirement because of the changes.
  
  

Responding to a letter from the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges setting out the impact of NHS pensions taxation on service provision, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery said:

"These stark findings which show the real-life impact that the ongoing NHS pensions issue is having makes difficult reading and echoes the alarm sounded by trust leaders.

"It simply isn't good enough that patients are paying the price because we have not yet found a national solution. Trusts are telling us they are reducing the number of scans they carry out because radiologists are forced to retire early. Operations are being cancelled as anaesthetists reduce their hours and wards are being closed because the senior staff needed are not there.

It simply isn't good enough that patients are paying the price because we have not yet found a national solution.

Saffron Cordery    Interim Chief Executive

"The impact is longer waits for patients and putting other NHS staff under undue levels of pressure undermining staff morale and chipping away at efforts to address workforce shortages. With performance already stretched going into winter, the pensions issue is now affecting the ability of the NHS to manage demand over winter safely.

"We urgently need a full, fair and immediate solution - which covers all NHS staff, including other trust leaders who are also facing rising tax bills and disincentives to remain working within the NHS. We must ensure we do not lose any more staff ahead of the NHS' busiest period.

We urgently need a full, fair and immediate solution - which covers all NHS staff, including other trust leaders who are also facing rising tax bills and disincentives to remain working within the NHS.

Saffron Cordery    Interim Chief Executive

"While we welcome the government's efforts to find a solution, the current proposals for senior clinicians do not help the situation on the ground now nor start to resolve the issue for trust leaders and NHS staff as a whole."