Doctors and dentists in Wales get above-inflation pay hike

Doctors and dentists in Wales get above-inflation pay hike
One union said the uplift 'comes nowhere near addressing' pay erosion over recent years
Unions representing medics in Wales have shared their disappointment
(Image: Western Mail )
NHS Wales doctors and dentists are set to get a 4% pay rise, it has been confirmed. Others working for the NHS will see a 3.6% increase, with each rise surpassing the current inflation rate of 3.5%.
Jeremy Miles, Welsh Health Secretary, confirmed that both pay awards will be backdated to 1 April, 2025. The rises stem from recommendations made by the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) and the Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) for 2025 to 2026.
The increases exceed the rate of inflation which rose to 3.5% in April, up from 2.6% in March and the highest since January 2024. They also align with those given to NHS staff in England.
However, unions representing medics in Wales have shared their disappointment, calling the rises "too little, too late" and stating they come "nowhere near addressing pay erosion".
Royal College of Nursing executive director Helen Whyley said: "The pay award announced by the Welsh Government today (22 May) comes almost two months after the Pay Review Body (PRB)'s report was delivered to the UK government.
"The PRB's recommendations were accepted and nursing staff employed on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts in Wales have been awarded a 3.6% pay increase across all bands, backdated to April 1, 2025.
Article continues below
'This announcement has come far too late, leaving nursing staff waiting once again for recognition they urgently deserve.
'At a time when morale is already low and the pressures on the health service are immense, this delay only deepens the sense of disillusionment among our members.'
Dr Iona Collins, chair of the British Medical Association's (BMA) Welsh Council said: 'The BMA has repeatedly provided evidence to reflect that NHS Wales doctors are undervalued and overworked.
"The published pay increase of 1% above inflation comes nowhere near addressing the pay erosion of at least 19% over the last sixteen years.
'The DDRB and Welsh Government fail to recognise that doctors continue to experience the worst pay erosion in the public sector, which is not acceptable.
"Similarly, the underfunding of the GMS contract leaves general practice in a precarious position, with financial remedy required immediately.
'Doctors are trying to get through the longest waiting lists on record and sacrificing their own health to do so, with high levels of exhaustion and burnout reported.
"Now more than ever, doctors need pay restoration, which will help the profession feel appreciated for routinely going above and beyond.
'We will now digest the DDRB report and further consult with our members to gauge their views and consider our next steps. We have requested an urgent meeting with the Cabinet Secretary.'
Article continues below

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Sun

34 minutes ago

• The Sun

NHS docs saved me after I nearly died from £6k mummy makeover in Poland… but here's why I'll never regret it

LYING in an NHS hospital bed, hooked up to a drip, Lois Crossley was fighting for her life after contracting sepsis from a surgery complication. But the mum-of-four's initial operation had not been carried out in the UK - she had flown to one of Europe 's cut-price hotspots for a cosmetic mummy makeover. 11 11 Lois insists that despite taxpayers effectively having to save her after her decision to spend £6,000 on a tummy tuck, liposuction and a breast lift - the NHS is now better off. Lois, 29, from Salford, Greater Manchester had lost 7st before these procedures which she paid for using a surprising windfall - and says that the NHS doctors told her she could have died if they had not stepped in. She says: 'The doctors said I could have died if I hadn't got help when I did. It was frightening but I always knew that surgery could be a risk. I don't regret it, despite getting sick. 'I'm so much happier with my body now. I feel like a model and have more energy to keep up with my kids. 'I did feel bad turning up for help after having an elective operation abroad, but the nurses were kind and said that they had a duty of care. Scans showed the operation had been done properly and the infection was just one of those things. 'People might criticise me for using NHS resources to sort out a complication. But I'd argue that I paid privately for my initial gastric sleeve to lose the weight, as well as the tummy tuck, and now I'm healthier overall. 'That's better for the NHS in the long run.' Lois had always been a skinny size 8 until she fell pregnant for the first time in July 2016, going on to have four babies in six years – Theo, eight, Koen, seven, Rion, four, and Indi-Blu, two. 'I needed an emergency c-section with my first and second births, so the doctors recommended I have planned ones with the next two,' she says. 'I was glad my babies arrived safely but it left me with messy scarring on my tummy and an overhang. 'Looking after small children was so tiring and busy. I'd barely eat all day, just graze on snacks and their leftovers. It meant I was starving by the time they were in bed and ended up eating ready meals or takeaways. 'The weight crept up and up with each pregnancy. I tried Slimming World but it was difficult to stick to it.' I lost 100lbs doing the Keto diet and did a mummy makeover to get rid of the loose skin but it was worth it - people are stunned by my transformation By the time she had her youngest child in October 2022, Lois weighed 16st 5lbs and was a size 22, despite being 5ft 4ins tall. 'The idea of going shopping horrified me and I lived in leggings because jeans cut into my tummy,' she says. 'I lost all my confidence and never wanted to leave the house. All my friends were still slim - I felt like the odd one out. My fiancé Kieron loved me as I was but I knew I needed to take action for my own wellbeing, mentally and physically.' I lost all my confidence and never wanted to leave the house. All my friends were still slim - I felt like the odd one out In September 2023, full time mum Lois travelled to Turkey after saving up £2,150 for a gastric sleeve operation, with her dad Darren accompanying her while Kieron, 30, cared for their children at home. 11 11 11 'I'd been to see my GP for help but all they could offer was a long waiting list for a weight management programme,' she says. 'I needed something more drastic. I knew a couple of people who'd had a gastric sleeve and been very successful. I worried it was the 'easy' way out but I couldn't see how I'd manage to lose all this weight otherwise. 'Melting away' 'I'll admit that, at first, I found the recovery mentally challenging and wondered if I'd done the right thing. 'I hate soup but that was all I could eat to start, slowly moving onto purees and mashed up meals. The protein shakes were disgusting too. I'd watch Kieron and the kids eating a nice dinner and feel like I was missing out.' But while she hated being unable to eat proper food, Lois was thrilled with the impact on her size. 'I lost a stone in the month and it just kept melting away. It was quite dramatic,' she says. 'Within a year, I'd lost nearly 7st and was a size 8, just as I'd hoped.' But the extreme weight loss came with side effects – a 'saggy' tummy pouch and boobs. 'I wanted to wear nice fitted clothes but it was impossible to hide the loose skin around my middle,' Lois says. 'My breasts had gone from a 47F to a 34DD but had lost their shape. I knew from doing my research that this was likely to happen but I still felt really conscious of it. 11 'I was also frustrated that I'd lost all that weight but was still hiding my body away in leggings and baggy tops. Shapewear could only do so much.' After doing her research, Lois started saving again for a tummy tuck, abroad, this time in Poland. After squirrelling away pennies, Lois had a surprising windfall. 'I'd had to quit my job in a nursery after the kids so I knew it was going to take a while to get the money,' she says. I worried it was the 'easy' way out but I couldn't see how I'd manage to lose all this weight otherwise 'I was putting every spare penny away, once the bills were paid and the kids catered for. I'd treat myself to a go on the online slots a couple of times a week. I couldn't believe it when I hit the jackpot and won £5,000. 'I was screaming and knew immediately that it was my chance to do something for myself and have the surgery.' Losing her dad to a sudden brain bleed in September 2024, at the age of only 56, made her more determined to take action. 'He'd promised he would come with me once I had saved enough for the tummy tuck,' she says. 'My dad was really proud of how I'd lost the weight and was taking control of my life.' In November 2024, Lois travelled to Wroclaw, Poland, with her mum, booking into an apartment near the hospital for a week. 'So scary' The trip and surgery cost £6,100 in total, with Lois topping up her winnings with savings. 'I didn't hesitate to use the money for my surgery – it was my dream,' she says. 'When I left my kids to go for the gastric sleeve, I couldn't stop crying. This time around I was so excited.' Lois had booked a tummy tuck, liposuction on her hips and upper abdomen, and breast implants. I just couldn't stop looking at my new body – I was delighted But after meeting her surgeon, he advised her to have a breast uplift instead. 'I was disappointed but it made me trust him more because he could have just taken my money and done what I'd asked for,' she says. During the five-hour operation, Lois had 1.2kg of loose tummy skin removed and her three c-section scars were aligned into one neat line. 'The recovery was fine, I was up walking after a couple of hours,' she says. Pain wise, I would say my c-sections were worse. I just couldn't stop looking at my new body – I was delighted.' With everything in order, she returned home and was healing well until she came down with flu-like symptoms two weeks after the operation. 'I was dripping with sweat but felt freezing, I felt dizzy and my heart was racing,' she recalls. 'I tried to push through it but when I met some mum friends at the playground, they told me I looked shocking and I should contact the doctor immediately.' After calling 111 and explaining about her recent op, Lois was sent to Salford Royal Hospital, where she needed emergency surgery to treat an infection in a wound. 'It was so scary,' she says. 'They had to put me back to sleep and unstitch my belly button to drain fluid off. The doctors said I was lucky I caught it when I did or I might have died.' The mum spent the next ten days recovering in hospital on IV antibiotics. 'The doctors were really understanding and it wasn't the surgeon's fault – it was one of those things,' she says. 'My immune system was very weak for a few months afterwards and I have a scar on my hip, but I feel fine now.' The doctors said I was lucky I caught it when I did or I might have died Today, Lois is 9st 2lbs and feels like she has her old self back. 'All surgery comes with risks and I knew there might be complications, so I'll never regret it,' she says. 'It gives you a better life for your kids, to be able to run about with them and stuff. I'm also more confident, I've always got my legs out and can wear belly tops. I'm finally able to think about planning my wedding too. 'Everyone says how good I look – I even got stopped by one of the shop assistants in my local Lidl the other day. Being able to look at normal sized clothing instead of plus size and 4XL makes everything worth it. I'm a trendy mum now.' 11

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

EXCLUSIVE England's most depressed streets revealed - so how high are rates in YOUR neighbourhood?

England's depression capitals are today revealed in MailOnline's interactive map of every neighbourhood in the country. Topping the table of 34,000 districts, according to the House of Commons Library's (HoC) figures, comes a suburb of Stockport in Greater Manchester. Nearly one in three GP patients in that particular enclave of Brinnington, located just off the M60, have been diagnosed with depression. At the other end of the scale, just 3.5 per cent of people living in an affluent zone of Knightsbridge, central London, are thought to suffer with the mental illness. Five-story Edwardian homes which sell for north of £1.5million are commonplace in that precinct, just a ten-minute walk from Harrods. Our map, which allows you to zoom into street level, plots the depression prevalence estimates for all 34,000 lower super output areas (LSOA) in England – tiny pockets of the country made up of around 1,000 and 3,000 people. Each LSOA is coloured by how many GP patients aged over 18 have been diagnosed with depression. The darker the shade of red, the higher the rate of sufferers. The figure for the entirety of England stood at around 13 per cent, slightly higher than official estimates. Depression is 'more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days' and is 'not something you can snap out of', the advice page from the NHS states. Of the ten LSOAs with the highest rates of depression, eight were located in the north of England, specifically in Stockport and the Wirral. The other two were in Plymouth's deprived Budshead community, where locals have bemoaned a rise in anti-social behaviour from children who have 'nothing to do'. Eight of the ten places with the lowest rates of depression were in the local authority of Westminster. Dr Dalia Tsimpida, lecturer in gerontology at the University of Southampton, has been investigating what makes some neighbourhoods mental health hotspots while others remain relatively protected. She said: 'Our research reveals a complex web of environmental and socioeconomic factors that contribute to higher depression rates in certain areas. 'Deprivation is a key driver, accounting for up to 39 per cent of recorded depression levels across England, although this varies dramatically by location.' Her research has identified a previously overlooked factor: noise pollution. Areas with transportation noise exceeding 55 decibels on average in a 24-hour basis show much stronger links between health deprivation, disability, and depression. 'Environmental stressors play a crucial but underappreciated role,' she said. 'While transportation noise doesn't directly cause depression, it significantly amplifies the impact of other risk factors.' Dr Tsimpida added: 'Living in a depression hotspot exposes people to what may be "contagion effects" - both social and environmental. 'We observed that mental health challenges may spread through communities through mechanisms like social isolation, reduced community resources, environmental degradation, and normalised hopelessness.' Studies suggest depression rates can be linked to other factors, such as low income or living alone, according to the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey. The survey, carried out for the NHS, also showed a link between poor physical health and mental knock-on effects. Dr Tsimpida added: 'Areas with lower depression rates – particularly in London and the South East – benefit from multiple protective factors working together. 'These include better economic opportunities, higher-quality housing, more green spaces, lower environmental stressors, and stronger social infrastructure.' What is depression? While it is normal to feel down from time to time, people with depression may feel persistently unhappy for weeks or months on end. Depression can affect anyone at any age and is fairly common - approximately one in ten people are likely to experience it at some point in their life. Depression is a genuine health condition which people cannot just ignore or 'snap out of it'. Symptoms and effects vary, but can include constantly feeling upset or hopeless, or losing interest in things you used to enjoy. It can also cause physical symptoms such as problems sleeping, tiredness, having a low appetite or sex drive, and even feeling physical pain. In extreme cases it can lead to suicidal thoughts. Traumatic events can trigger it, and people with a family history may be more at risk. It is important to see a doctor if you think you or someone you know has depression, as it can be managed with lifestyle changes, therapy or medication. Source: NHS Choices A House of Commons report last year estimated that one in six adults experienced a 'common mental disorder' like depression or anxiety in the previous week. But when it comes to treatment, there is a postcode lottery as waiting times for NHS talking therapies (TTAD). Sufferers in Gloucestershire can be seen in just four days, while others in Southport and Formby have to wait at least 10 weeks. Two-thirds of people experience improvement after TTAD, but this varies in different parts of England and between social groups. Health service figures show a record 8.7million people in England, about 15 per cent of the total population, are now on antidepressants, which can also be given to fight OCD, anxiety and PTSD. Some experts have been concerned about the 'one size fits all' approach to patients suffering from depression. The concerns have mainly focused on the use of a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and its libido crushing side-effects. Some users have reported being transformed into 'sexless' zombies even years after they stopped taking the mind-altering pills. Uptake of the pills has soared in recent years despite growing unease among experts about the effectiveness of the drugs in treating depression. Plenty of patients insist they work, however. Psychiatrists urge patients concerned about side effects, or potential consequences, of antidepressants to talk to their medical professional about their options. Earlier this year, one of the UK's most eminent GPs warned thousands of Brits were mistaking the 'normal stresses of life' for mental health problems — and incorrectly diagnosing themselves with psychiatric conditions. Dame Clare Gerada, former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, told MailOnline in January that Britain has a 'problem' with people 'seeking labels to explain their worries'. Professor Gerada's concerns echo that of former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair's, who has warned against over-medicalising the 'ups and downs of life'. Sir Tony, who served as PM from 1997 to 2007, said there was a danger of telling too many people going through life's normal challenges that they are suffering a mental health condition. Dr Tsimpida argues that current approaches to tackling depression may be fundamentally flawed because they focus on treating individuals rather than transforming places. She said: 'We need place-based interventions, not just individual treatments. 'Our findings show that traditional randomised controlled trials may miss crucial spatial influences on mental health outcomes.' Based on her research findings, she suggests several priority actions which include noise mitigation strategies, sustained investment in hotspots and integrated approaches to treat all root causes at the same time. She added: 'The key insight from our research is that treating depression effectively requires changing places, not just treating people. Jen Dykxhoorn, a research fellow at University College London's Division of Psychiatry Neighbourhood believes regeneration programmes may be helpful. She said: 'There is some evidence that initiatives like planting trees, removing litter, and improving the physical quality of neighbourhoods can reduce rates of depression.' MailOnline's investigation into the country's depression hotspots was calculated from House of Commons Library data which was compiled from GP practice registers in England as published by NHS Digital. Some apparent variation between areas may be explained by differences in how GPs operate and measure, rather than genuine differences in the prevalence of disease and health conditions. HoC Library's most up to date figures use the 2011 LSOA boundaries which were updated in 2021.

BBC News

2 hours ago

• BBC News

Film premiering in Redruth aims to help deaf people with diabetes

A series of new educational films are aiming to help deaf people and those with hearing loss access diabetes British Sign Language (BSL) films premiered at the Regal Cinema in Redruth and hope to improve understanding of diabetes and help deaf people navigate healthcare were produced by NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (NHSCIOS), Diabetes UK, Hearing Loss Cornwall and members of the deaf community and will be shown across the UK by health said an estimated one in five people in the region are deaf or have some level of hearing loss while Diabetes UK said around 48,000 in the county live with diabetes. 'No one is left behind' Dr Chris Reid, chief medical officer for NHSCIOS, said it could be "a huge challenge" for people who are deaf or live with hearing loss to access health said: "By creating these films in British Sign Language we are not only breaking down barriers, we are helping to make sure that no one is left behind when it comes to understanding, managing and living well with diabetes. "This is about doing healthcare differently – because everyone deserves the same chance to live a healthy life."Chris Gould who has type 2 diabetes and is deaf said: "Having information in BSL, at last, is exciting for the deaf community, as it shows that the needs of the deaf community are being taken seriously."It's been long awaited, and I hope we can develop more to include deaf people to bring long overdue equality."