Doctors’ pay in England has declined by 25 per cent since 2008 

An independent analysis of doctors' pay in England shows that the real-term value of their salaries has declined by a quarter in the 15 years since their pay was frozen

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As doctors in England enter month number 13 of industrial action, an independent analysis of their pay confirms that the real-term value of their salaries has declined by a quarter in the 15 years since their pay was frozen.

The analysis, conducted for the British Medical Journal (The BMJ) by the Office of Health Economics (OHE), an independent health economics research organisation, found that across all grades, doctors' salaries declined in real terms by 25 per cent on average between September 2008 and September 2023, compared with 10 per cent across all work sectors.

This mirrors an analysis by the British Medical Association (BMA), which says doctors require a 35 per cent pay rise to correct the 26 per cent pay erosion since 2008.

Freelance journalist Adele Waters reported that this fall, combined with a substantial rise in the cost of living in the UK over the same period, is disproportionately affecting doctors' purchasing power, especially among junior doctors.

For example, newly qualified F1 doctors have to spend 24 per cent more of their salaries than they did in 2008 on the same essential goods and services, which include food, drink, transport, energy and housing, while for consultants, this figure is 7 per cent.

House prices have also risen in real terms, making home ownership out of reach for many doctors, especially in cities such as London and Manchester, where house prices have risen by 31 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively.

One F1 doctor said he couldn't afford breakfast or to join a gym, while another said, "If I wasn't living with my partner, I would struggle financially."

An F2 oncology doctor in London said his pay is 'rubbish', and if it wasn't a job that he enjoyed and spent so much time working towards, he'd probably be doing something else. 

The BMJ also spoke to a former ophthalmology trainee who made the difficult decision to quit medicine last year after worrying about affording a gas bill. "I loved medicine, but I hated the pay and the way doctors were treated," he said.

"Both the private and public sectors experienced a fall in pay in real terms after the financial crash 2008. But in the private sector, which makes up 80 per cent of the UK workforce, we saw pay levels rebound relatively quickly. In contrast, the public sector bore the brunt of austerity," shared BMA junior doctors committee co-chair Vivek Trivedi in response to the findings.

"And within the public sector, doctors have taken a specifically harder hit, so the level of pay erosion has been even stronger," he added.

Fellow co-chair Robert Laurenson argued that doctors are financially disadvantaged throughout their postgraduate training due to frequent relocation demands. "Pay erosion is compounded by the geographical instability of our careers, which rotate every four, six or 12 months," he said.

He also shared: "That lends itself to not being able to benefit from things like fixed tariffs from energy companies, from being able to commit to something as significant as a mortgage if you can afford it, and you're constantly at the whim of the rental market."

While the Doctors' Association UK (DAUK) does not put a figure on the salary increases doctors need, it aligns with the BMA on the need to value doctors properly. "Our pay should reflect the levels of training and expertise that doctors have, as well as the levels of responsibility that we carry. It's as simple as that. And our pay should keep pace with inflation," said its co-chair, Helen Fernandes.