Consultant and SAS doctor pay update: “fragile situation” as talks see slight improvement 

If you haven’t caught up with our last update and the very disappointing behaviour of the Scottish Government in our pay negotiations, we would suggest doing so here. 

To recap, in a very much abridged version, we left our last meeting believing we had just started pay negotiations with the Cabinet Secretary. 

The other side of the table clearly felt differently as they issued a pay circular confirming they had accepted and were implementing the disappointing DDRB recommendation of just 4% a mere couple of hours later. 

This left us – and those of you who had read the blog I would imagine – feeling incredibly frustrated, somewhat bruised and that our trust had been betrayed. 

We immediately wrote to the Cabinet Secretary and while the pay circular stands (so members should see that uplift, including for discretionary points, come through in July salaries), the response at this stage means that we are able to be a little more positive now than we were at the time of the last blog.  

Be in no doubt, we voiced our displeasure in no uncertain terms and relationships have been set back some way. Yet it is incumbent on us to see what can be salvaged. 

As a result, we have had a better meeting with the Scottish Government (with clearly agreed action points) last week that suggests there may be some progress we can make on elements alongside headline pay that could form some type of offer which we would be able to put to members to give a verdict on. 

Whether this is possible remains to be seen, but from both a SAS and consultant point of view our feeling is that this is an avenue that is worth pursuing for the next relatively short period. We don’t want to say too much more until these negotiations are fleshed out, but rest assured we will stay in touch. 

It is also crucial that when and if we are able to put some kind of package of measures to you, the outstanding elements of last year’s deals are progressed. For consultants that included a working group on the balance of job planning, while for SAS doctors a similar group was looking at a pathway to the regrading of Specialty Doctors to Specialists. There was also a group looking at short term cover rates for both parts of the profession. Successful and rapid progression of this work is now vital if we are to have any faith in whatever may be presented this year. 

In terms of consideration of next steps, the Scottish Consultants Committee had its regular meeting last week to discuss the position, while SAS doctors met before the Cabinet Secretary meeting, but are being kept abreast of the position and any potential decisions that may need to be taken. 

At the same time as this was happening the BMA in England announced it will launch indicative ballots of consultants and SAS members on 21 July, asking whether they are willing to take industrial action on the basis of the 4% uplift imposed there. They have our full support with this. 

For both SAS and consultant doctors here in Scotland we will give our negotiations, which we are holding jointly, some further time to run.   However to be clear, that is a time limited process that must proceed at speed.  The consultants committee was clear when it met that if nothing had been achieved by mid-August, escalation of our concerns was inevitable.  Similar time frames will apply for SAS.  The next meetings of SCC and SSASC will fall shortly after that and will provide the opportunity for discussions on any progress and whether there is something that we feel could be viably put to the profession. 

If not, the path of dispute, ballots and ultimately industrial action will be something we need the support of you all to pursue. In the meantime, there are steps you can take urgently to support us: 

• If you aren’t a member of the BMA, please consider joining us. Our strength comes from you and our numbers. 

• If you are a member, check and update you details so we know we can reach you, keep you up to date and consult you if and when necessary. It takes just a few minutes and there is an easy how-to guide here, which crucially shows how to let us know that your data is correct, importantly even if it doesn’t need updated. 

• If you want to do your bit locally – contact your LNC – all the contact details are here. 

• Finally, a reminder on the importance of engaging with and making sure you have an up-to-date job plan. Given we are negotiating on a basis more widely than just simply headline pay, this becomes even more crucial. The BMA can support you on this and if you are having any difficulties with this, you can contact your LNC or get in touch with our team of expert advisers here. 

Essentially, the take-away message is that things have improved slightly from what can only be described as the nadir of our first meeting on pay. However the situation certainly remains fragile and the Scottish Government understands that it is on notice and that escalation remains not just a possibility, but something we will do without hesitation if required. Keep following for updates, we’ll provide them as soon as we can. 

Dr Sine Steele is Chair of BMA Scotland’s Specialist, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctor Committee and Dr Alan Robertson is Chair of BMA Scotland’s Consultant Committee