Dentists to get 4.5% pay rise in Scotland
NHS dental professionals are set to receive a 4.5% pay rise in Scotland.
Health secretary, Humza Yousaf, confirmed that NHS dental and medical staff will be given a 4.5% pay rise, which will be backdated to April 1st. He said that the raise “demonstrates that we value all our medical and dental staff and the important contribution they make.”
In England, doctors and dentists will be awarded a similar pay rise.
The move comes after recommendations from the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body (DDRB), an independent body. The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendation, suggesting that the “uplift” is deserved, particularly as dental and medical teams worked so hard during the pandemic when health services were put under extreme pressure.
Mr Yousaf stated that senior NHS medical staff in Scotland would continue to be the best paid in the UK and added that it was now “crucial” to “recruit and build our future NHS workforce” and “retain expertise within NHS Scotland.” The 4.5% increase follows a 3% pay rise in 2021.
The British Medical Association Scotland criticised the plans and called for a bigger pay rise for NHS staff. Chairman, Dr Lewis Morrison, said that the rise is a real-term cut due to soaring rates of inflation, which are pushing up living costs. Dr Morrison described the deal as doing “nothing to undo years of real-term pay erosion for doctors.”
News of pay increases for NHS dental and medical workers came as the UK Government announced plans for raises for public sector staff primarily based in England and Wales. Police officers in England will earn £1,900 per year more following the pay increase.
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