All British Medical Association articles

  • Nannakim/Dreamstime
    Features

    Yearly Roundup: Not enough consultations

    2022-12-20T00:00:00Z

    Yearly Roundup: Not enough consultationsEnterkeywords.sh_embed {position: relative;height: auto;width:100%;z-index: 0;overflow: hidden;background-color: #222;color: white;font-family: 'Lato', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;}.sh_embed * {-webkit-box-sizing: border-box;-moz-box-sizing: border-box;box-sizing: border-box;}.sh_embed .sh-embed-bg {position: absolute;width: 110%;height: 110%;top: -5%;left: -5%;z-index: -1;background-color: rgba(0,0,0,.8);}.sh_embed #embed_article {display: none;}.sh_embed .sh-embed-img {display: block;zoom: 1;opacity: .5;width: 100%;height: 100%;object-fit: cover;image-rendering: optimizeSpeed;filter: progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(sizingMethod='scale');-ms-filter: "progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.AlphaImageLoader(sizingMethod='scale')";-webkit-filter: blur(5px);-moz-filter: blur(5px);-ms-filter: blur(5px);filter: blur(5px);filter: ...

  • FabioBalbi/iStock
    News

    NHS staff offered ‘partial retirement’ with scheme eligibility expanded

    2022-12-05T00:00:00Z

    Members of the NHS Pension Scheme will have the option of “partial retirement” under proposed government reforms aimed at stemming the flow of health workers leaving the NHS.

  • Getty Images
    News

    BMA warns of spike in early retirements over tax relief reforms

    2022-11-07T00:00:00Z

    The British Medical Association has warned that the number of doctors choosing to reduce hours or retire early would increase were the government to proceed with reported plans to freeze the pensions lifetime allowance past 2026.

  • Cate Gillon/Getty Images
    News

    Govt to fix NHS inflation link and mandate pensions recycling

    2022-09-22T00:00:00Z

    The government will be correcting pension rules regarding inflation and will mandate NHS trusts to offer pensions recycling by 2023, as part of its bid to prevent punitive pension rules from encouraging workers to leave the NHS.

  • Podcasts
    Podcasts

    Podcast: Pension tax changes needed to save NHS from ‘rock bottom’

    2022-09-08T00:00:00Z

    Podcast: Staff shortages and ever-growing waiting lists have left the NHS at “rock bottom”, but the government “has its head in the sand”. Changes to the pensions taxation regime are essential to fix the problem, argues Vishal Sharma, pensions committee chair at the British Medical Association. He is joined by Mark Bondi, council member at the Society of Pension Professionals and senior technical consultant at Capita, to discuss the NHS, the High Court’s retail price index decision, and pension priorities for new prime minister Liz Truss.

  • Getty Images
    News

    ‘Disingenuous’ pension proposals will not fix NHS staffing crisis

    2022-08-30T00:00:00Z

    The government’s proposed pension rules tweaks around “retire and return” for some NHS Pension Scheme members, in a bid to tackle the mounting staff retention crisis, have been criticised by commentators who argue that the changes do not go far enough.

  • Motortion/Dreamstime
    News

    Think tank urges reform of NHS pensions’ CPI link

    2022-08-23T00:00:00Z

    Think thank Policy Exchange has advised the next prime minister to revise the relationship between the consumer price index and the annual allowance for public sector pensions, in a move that could help to limit the number of GPs and consultants retiring early to avoid punitive taxes.

  • Getty Images
    News

    BMA blasts Sunak role in NHS pensions taxation

    2022-08-04T00:00:00Z

    The British Medical Association has hit out at Rishi Sunak for changes made during his time as chancellor of the exchequer to the tapered annual allowance of NHS pensions.

  • Andrea Piacquadio/Pexels
    News

    Govt urged to tackle NHS pensions amid staff retention fears

    2022-07-20T00:00:00Z

    The government has been encouraged to address NHS pensions in order to tackle staff retention issues, following the announcement of a sub-inflation pay rise of 4.5 per cent for eligible dentists and doctors.

  • iStock
    News

    MPs call for tax-unregistered NHS pension scheme

    2022-07-15T00:00:00Z

    MPs have called on the government to revisit legislation that is being blamed for early retirements among NHS workers and financial penalties on health workers.

  • Reuters/Chris Fletcher/MOD
    News

    Firefighters and doctors cleared to challenge govt on McCloud costs

    2022-07-05T00:00:00Z

    The Fire Brigades Union and the British Medical Association have been granted permission to challenge the government over plans to pass McCloud remedy costs on to their members.

  • News on the go
    News

    Delays grip NHSBSA after spring retirement applications jump 35%

    2022-07-04T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The NHS Business Services Authority has warned that it has experienced delays to handling some retirement applications after a 35 per cent surge in applications during the spring.

  • Ammentorp/Dreamstime
    News

    BMA votes to expedite McCloud remedy and recycle pensions

    2022-06-27T00:00:00Z

    The British Medical Association is expected to push for the expedition of the McCloud remedy and the introduction of pension recycling rules in the NHS Pension Scheme, after backing from its members in its annual representative meeting.

  • Getty Images
    News

    BMA issues stinging rebuke of ‘misleading’ NHS pensions claims

    2022-05-06T00:00:00Z

    The British Medical Association has rebuked NHS England and NHS Improvement for what it calls “misleading” information about “punitive pensions taxation” and its impact on staff retention.

  • Getty Images
    News

    Govt admits errors in almost 20,000 NHS GP pension records

    2022-04-01T00:00:00Z

    Health minister Edward Argar told parliament in March that there were nearly 20,000 NHS GP pension records in error, prompting the British Medical Association to call for an end to the outsourcing of NHS pensions administration.

  • Getty Images
    News

    BMA joins firefighters in threatening McCloud legal action

    2021-11-16T00:00:00Z

    The British Medical Association is the latest public sector body to threaten legal action should the government persist with plans to make its members pay for the cost of the McCloud remedy.

  • Getty Images
    News

    GPs admin woes continue in new Capita pensions portal

    2021-07-30T00:00:00Z

    The long-running saga of admin issues for doctors continues, as a new pensions and payments portal for GP practices, introduced in June, has shown a series of failings, including missing records and payments.

  • News on the go
    News

    Number of doctors retiring early trebles

    2021-06-25T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The number of doctors retiring early has more than trebled over the past 13 years, with concerns that hefty tax bills are the main factor driving the action.

  • News on the go
    News

    Increasing numbers of NHS staff opt out of pension scheme

    2021-06-21T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The number of NHS staff opting out of the health service’s pension scheme rose by 22 per cent last year.

  • News on the go
    News

    Calls for NHS pension reform to tackle 'medical staffing crisis'

    2021-06-11T00:00:00Z

    On the go: The British Medical Association has used a Public Accounts Committee report criticising the Treasury’s implementation of public sector pension reforms to call for further changes to the NHS Pension Scheme in order to tackle the medical staffing crisis.