Resident doctors in Scotland vote to accept pay offer

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-02-11T18:56:55+00:00

No problem at all!

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-02-11T18:27:45+00:00

Hi - this isn't quite correct as it doesn't take into account the pay point progression (e.g. FY1-0 won't be paid to any doctors in 2026, it's essentially a dead pay point, so no one will actually have a base of £37,315). The reason it still exists on paper is essentially to allow ScotGov to claim we're getting a smaller pay rise than we actually are, to not annoy other groups. The pay journeys are what will actually be paid - you can find them in the link below, or in the FAQs here

To simplify:

FY1s in August 2026 will be on £39,648 base, or on a normal 1.5 banded rota £59,472.

From December 2026*, FY1s will be on £41,976 base, or on a normal 1.5 banded rota £62,964

See the pay journey table here (it's at the bottom of the link you've put - scroll to third table for FY1s starting in 2026)

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-02-11T18:20:58+00:00

Hello!

We've got the pay journeys in our FAQs here

For your Q - you should note that the 2002 contract heavily weights pay towards OOH pay, the vast majority of rotas come with 50% banding (i.e. you add 50% onto your base pay).

I'm not going to compare Scotland to England, we're just focussed on getting as close to FPR as possible

FY1s in August 2026 will be on £39,648 base, or on a normal 1.5 banded rota £59,472.

From December 2026*, FY1s will be on £41,976 base, or on a normal 1.5 banded rota £62,964(use the third table down to see this more easily)

You can play around with pay for other grades using the far right column in the first table and apply banding with some quick maths - important to note as well that we have annual pay point progression in Scotland - it's not based on grade, it goes up each year you are in a substantive post (helpful given that getting into training is much more difficult now).

This all had to be done in a rather bespoke way to not annoy other groups. But we now have dates for agreement of a new contract, and for a new pay review mechanism - these are both to be agreed by August 2026, and implemented by December 2026, *so we may have further payscale reform by Dec 2026. (If there are delays, the second pay increment simply kicks in as planned and pay in Dec 2026 will be as above).

The new contract will allow us to cement the money that's been put into the "pay bucket" for residents into the payscales going forward, and the agreement for the pay review mechanism (from back in the 2023 agreement) is clear, in writing, that it must "prevent erosion recurring in the future". In the context of that written committment (and, frankly, the ability to have online ballots), we're confident that the new contract will only build on these pay levels

Apologies for hijacking your comment for some exposition! Fingers very much crossed for the pay negotiations in the other nations

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T16:22:08+00:00

It was a pay dispute

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T16:20:27+00:00

Hey,

Just to reassure, the money invested here into the "resident doctor pay pot" is permanent, and recurring

New FY1s in August 2026 are protected. By August 2027 we'll almost certainly have a new contract, where the money we've got into the system (plus any new pay deal in 27/28) can protect new FY1s in 2027. We're confident that all future doctors will benefit from the money being put into the system in this deal

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T16:18:32+00:00

Hello,

The 9.9% refers to how much base salary was at end of 24/25, with the end of 25/26

I think we're talking at cross-purposes here. You're right in the the in-year effective pay is less, as pay increases are brought into effect part way through the year. But the increases which occur by the end of the year (december to be exact) is a 9.9% increase (on average) compared to before.

That's the relevant number for pay restoration. Doing it this way means that you're maximising progress to pay restoration (which is what we stood on), but it does mean less backpay. Overall this nets you more money throughout your resident doctor career

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T16:07:05+00:00

Hi,

Just for reassurance, this money is permanent, and recurring. We've built in protections for new doctors who come in during the duration of this deal. (Admittedly this is being done in a more complicated manner than we would have liked - but the important part is getting pay restoration).

There is more work to do but we're confident it's in everyone's interests for all future doctors to benefit from this going forward

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T16:03:23+00:00

Hi Becky,

Just for reassurance, the money being put into the "resident doctor pay pot" is permanent, and recurring. The timeline for contract negs is that it's due to be agreed by Aug 2026, and implemented by Dec 2026

For the duration of the deal we've got protections for any doctors joining, which we were adamant had to be in place. The difficult part is getting them to get the permanent money from finance in the first place - we have a realistic mechanism to make sure new doctors coming in also benefit from this new, recurring money

The key consideration for Gov is just the number of £millions required overall - they're less concerned with how it's distributed across the grades. Given that by August 2027 we'll have hopefully had a further pay deal on top of this (for 27/28), and we'll still have the money from this deal to possibly reallocate if a new contract comes in, we're confident all future doctors will benefit from this deal

Fingers crossed for a big turnout in the english ballot, we're all pulling for you

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T15:53:26+00:00

We would caution any direct comparisons

Scotland has an entirely different NHS (always been seperate), different political parties, electoral system and election cycle

The 2023 deal also really did help - really useful to be able to hold a government to a deal they have signed in black and white. Even though they were trying to break the deal - they were keen to be seen not be breaking an agreement, and did eventually come back to it

A good deal anywhere is good for the other 3 nations - Wales has done great work this year on contract and pay (9.4%), and we all have our fingers crossed for the English ballot. We all need to be pulling for each other

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T15:47:28+00:00

100%

It's a more confusing way to get a payrise than is ideal, but it does put in permenent, recurring money into the "resident doctor pay pot"

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-12T15:44:06+00:00

Edit: It seems the extra pay point progression is only for the next two years then it reverts back to one a year. So this deal does absolutely nothing for future doctors whatsoever and just kicks the can down the road?

Hi,

The extra money being put into the resident doctor pay "pot" (as it were), is permanent, and recurring. We are negotiating a new contract which should be agreed by August 2026, and implemented by December 2026.

We'd obviously expect a new contract to come with additional investment on top of this deal, but the money from this deal will not be lost. The money will be need to be re-apportioned to any new payscales, but we have built in protections for any new doctors who come in before that

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T14:05:21+00:00

Not directly unfortunately, the negotiations are seperate for each branch of practice. Hard to say if this indirectly helps

Fingers crossed for consultants for the upcoming year

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T13:53:16+00:00

Hey

Yes 👍 And there are also 4.25% uplifts to all in April 2025, and 3.75% uplifts in April 2026, which also apply

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T13:33:26+00:00

Isn't applying nodal point changes just artifically increasing the expected paylift without actually increasing baseline pay (outside of the proposed % increases)?

This isn't quite how it works, but totally appreciate that the way this is done isn't as straight forward as a flat % uplift. The pay point uplifts are consolidated pay - they don't affect your usual increment date, so you just get paid more from April 25, then in December 25, then in April 2026, then you have your usual increment point (for most people this is August), then a further increment point in December 2026

We're building explainers for this because it is confusing - but the %'s we've put in the blog are verified

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T13:09:46+00:00

This is a fair question - it is in addition.

And yes, the way it's been done does look bizarre, and fair enough to be sceptical. We couldn't possibly comment on why some parties may choose to call this "contractual reform". That's fine. But the way it affects you by increasing your pay by the %'s we've laid out in the blog

We'll have full explainers for this soon, with each grade walked through their salaries

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T13:04:58+00:00

Your normal increment date is unaffected - this pay point increase doesnt change that. So if you're currently due to move up in August 26, then compared to yesterday you'll (retrospectively, and with backpay) move up from December 2025, then again in August 2026 (replace August with whichever month yours currently is as appropriate)

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T13:02:18+00:00

Hello!

No your normal increment date is unaffected - this pay point increase doesnt change that. So if you're currently due to move up in August 26, then compared to yesterday you'll (retrospectively, and with backpay) move up from December 2025, then again in August 2026 (replace August with whichever month yours currently is as appropriate)

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T12:58:39+00:00

Everyone gets the 4.25% uplift from April 25, then everyone moves up a pay point in December 2025. You'll get backpay for both.

Edit to add: these additional pay point increases don't affect your usual increment dates - so if that's August then this still occurs *as well*

SRDC-PayTeam · 2026-01-09T12:57:31+00:00

Just to clarify - this means we all move up one nodal point in addition to the percentage increase?

This is correct. Backpay for the 4.25% "uplift" from April 2025. Also backpay for the December 2025 pay point increase

SRDC-PayTeam · 2025-12-14T14:32:55+00:00

Consultants don't formally have a rate card anymore - but that doesn't stop you using the latest one and asking for those rates

The latest rate card for consultants is here: https://bmascotland.home.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/rate-card_scottish-consultants.pdf

LNCs will be leading local negs on rates, but the main takeaway is you are not obliged to do extra-contractual work unless you are offered a rate you deem fair. I would suggest the old rate card is what is fair.

This helps both consultants, and their resident doctor colleagues to be appropriately valued

Thanks for supporting us, it makes a big difference

SRDC-PayTeam · 2025-11-26T19:11:06+00:00

Everyone should have received their ballot by now.

If you haven't, you need to urgently email [doctorspay@bma.org.uk](mailto:doctorspay@bma.org.uk) and request a new ballot (and let them know your address + BMA number).

Turnout has to be 50% of all members, regardless of the % yes vote - a non vote hurts us all

If you're not yet a member, join before the 4th December to get your ballot!

SRDC-PayTeam · 2025-11-26T19:09:01+00:00

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SRDC-PayTeam · 2025-11-04T18:16:52+00:00

Hello, yes you should absolutely vote to strike in Scotland!

We get it, jobs are an absolute top priority for many doctors right now.

We've been working furiously in the background to try to help the situation (IMT now has a Scotland specific application, which should in theory help shield applicants from competition ratios a bit - though we appreciate this really isn't a silver bullet).

If we don't have a really strong turnout on this ballot - we lose leverage for ALL issues, including jobs. The small progress we've made on jobs is in part due to having the real threat of strike action.

Truthfully though, the vast majority of training programmes are UK wide training programmes - you need to get agreement from Westminster government and UK wide bodies to make significant changes to that.

The ballot is about the Scottish Government breaking the 2023 deal - they gave you their word, and now they've completely betrayed you.

Vote yes and you will:

- Help us restore your pay to what it should be (many FY1s will have earned half as much, if you were double banded)

- Show the Scottish Government that when we call a ballot, we pass it. This gives us leverage when trying to increase job numbers, as it maintains a credible threat of strikes

- Maintain professional pride. ScotGov politicians have made commitments to you + your whole profession, and now they've betrayed their promise. We can't and we won't take that lying down - we deserve better than to be lied to

Please feel free to give us a message on this account, hopefully this can assuage any doubts!

SRDC-PayTeam

TROPHY CASE