Doctors' and dentists' remuneration (DDRB) review body - 2022-2023 pay round: evidence

Covering Letter

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care

Humza Yousaf MSP

T: 0300 244 4000

E: scottish.ministers@gov.scot

By email:

21 December 2021

Dear

I am writing to formally set out our remit for the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) for 2022-21.

It will be necessary to consider the affordability of the recommendations from the DDRB within the confines of the Scottish Public Sector Pay Policy (SPSPP) set for 2022-23 announced in the Scottish Parliament on 9 December 2021. Please see a copy of the draft Budget, which is subject to parliamentary approval.

The main features of the SPSPP are:

• setting a guaranteed wage floor of £10.50 per hour, going beyond the current real Living Wage rate of £9.90;
• providing a guaranteed cash underpin of £775 for public sector workers who earn £25,000 or less;
• providing a basic pay increase of up to £700 for those public sector workers earning between £25,000 to £40,000;
• provide a cash uplift of £500 for public sector workers earning above £40,000; and
• allowing flexibilities for employers to use up to 0.5 per cent of pay bill savings on baseline salaries in 2022 to address clearly evidenced equality or pay coherence issues.

Although we are seeking Recommendations from the DDRB on a pay uplift for one year only (2022-23), it will be necessary to consider these in the context of our longer term vision on:

• retention and recruitment of medical and dental staff in NHS Scotland
• increasing staff morale and ensuring staff in our health service feel valued as employees
• ensuring all medical and dental staff receive appropriate support to carry out their roles and responsibilities
• ensuring improved productivity and efficiency of our health service

Although the UK Government has entered a multi-year pay deal for General Medical Practitioners (GMPs), we would welcome your recommendations for a pay uplift for this remit group in NHSScotland.

Copies of this letter will be sent to the Secretary of State for Health and the respective Ministers in the devolved administrations as well as representatives of the Staff Side and NHS Employers.

Humza Yousaf