Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB): written evidence - 2024-2025 pay round

Introduction

1. This evidence has been prepared by the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates (SGHSCD) and we are now pleased to be able to submit this to the DDRB for their consideration.

2. Our remit letter to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) from the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care was submitted alongside this evidence.. This confirms the parameters which we would wish the DDRB to work within for their 2024-25 Report and Recommendations.

3. The Deputy First Minster and Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced the Scottish budget for 2024-25 on 19 December 2023. A copy of the budget is available online. We expect that pay metrics for 2024-25 will be set following the UK Government’s Spring Budget on 6 March 2024, when an updated picture of tax and public spending policy is available.

4. The Scottish Budget highlighted that going forward, pay and workforce must, more than ever, be explicitly linked to both fiscal sustainability and to reform to secure the delivery of effective public services over the medium term.

5. Plans around pay need to be developed on a sustainable basis working in partnership with the relevant Trade Unions. Key to this will be ensuring that plans for 2024/25 are affordable, and deliver high levels of public service, whilst bearing in mind our commitment to no compulsory redundancies.