Tax rules make doctors say no to extra hospital work, putting care at risk
NHS doctors avoid taking extra shifts because of complex tax rules that could leave them with surprise bills. Medical union points out this problem affects hospital waiting times and patient care
Medical staff turn down extra work at hospitals due to tax-related worries‚ which affects patient-care goals. The situation gets worse as many healthcare workers dont get their pension info on time (which shouldʼve been ready by oct-6)
Dr Vishal Sharma from the British Medical Association explains the odd situation:
Its absurd that anyone could be left worse off by taking on additional work; they are effectively paying to go to work
The money-math shows a weird gap: doctors earning over 200‚000 pounds face shrinking pension allowances; for each 2 pounds above this amount their yearly allowance drops by 1 pound. This means working more hours can result in less take-home pay
NHS goals are now at risk — including the plan by Wes Streeting to add 40‚000 more weekly appointments. The 6-percent pay boost (part of a bigger public-sector package) pushed many doctors into higher tax groups‚ making extra shifts less appealing
Financial expert Graham Crossley shares his view:
Who would want to work a shift that ends up costing them thousands of pounds
The situation needs quick fixes: doctors want the jan-2025 tax reporting deadline moved back. Two years back some rules got better when yearly allowance went up to 60‚000 pounds‚ but the core issue stays the same — healthcare workers still face big tax bills for doing more work
The BMA asks Rachel Reeves to keep pension lump-sum rules as they are and match yearly allowance limits with inflation. Meanwhile doctors keep refusing extra hospital time‚ unsure about possible tax effects
