NHS consultants in Scotland have voted to accept a £124.9 million pay deal.
The Scottish Government said it will see a 10.5% uplift to all basic pay, with £5.7m invested in other contractual elements.
British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland previously said the additional investment of £5.7m means the offer is the equivalent of an 11% rise and it put the deal to its members with a recommendation to accept it.
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It will be backdated to April 1.
Health Secretary Neil Gray said the pay and reward package ensures consultants’ pay is competitive with that in other parts of the UK.
It comes after the three main unions representing nursing, midwifery and other NHS staff in Scotland confirmed they will accept a 5.5% pay rise.
Gray (below) said: “I am very pleased that the consultants have voted to accept our pay offer. This will ensure that our consultant workforce feel valued, supported and fairly rewarded.
“This will bring Scotland back into line with recent pay deals in other parts of the UK, ensuring our NHS remains competitive when recruiting and retaining consultants.
“I wish to thank our consultants for their dedication and patience. They are a critical part of NHS Scotland’s workforce and we are committed to supporting them.”
'There is much more to do'
Dr Alan Robertson, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish consultant committee, said: “Overall, it is our view – and the vote indicates this is shared across the profession – that this year’s pay uplift is an important first step in addressing consultant pay erosion.
“It will help maintain Scotland as an attractive place for consultants to work, improve retention and therefore benefit the NHS and patients whose care suffers as workforce vacancies go unaddressed.
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“However there is much more to do and build upon from here – it is far from the end of the story. We still have ground to make up to restore pay to levels of the past and make up what we have lost to poor pay awards and the impact of inflation.
“Pension taxes continue to be an issue and while this pay award helps, higher income tax rates here do impact on competitiveness of our jobs and of the Scottish NHS compared to the rest of the UK.
“So, we must keep pushing to make sure working as a consultant in Scotland is as attractive as possible, and that this pay offer is not a one off, but more an indication of a trend.”
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