Pension changes pledged by Rishi Sunak at the UK budget this week could force senior doctors out of the health service, the government is being warned.

Two thirds of 1,000 Scottish doctors surveyed said freezing the lifetime pensions allowance would make them more likely to leave the health service.

Dr Graeme Eunson, Chair of BMA Scotland’s Consultant Committee, said the move could “blow another substantial hole” in an already-stretched workforce.

On Tuesday, the Chancellor announced the total amount that can be saved in a pension before tax charges apply would be capped at its current level of £1.073m for five years, instead of increasing with inflation.

But there are concerns that senior doctors on the NHS pension scheme, which is of a higher value than many other sectors, would simply work less or even retire early to avoid being hit by the charges.

The change comes after a long-running row over the issue stemming from UK-wide reforms first introduced in 2016.

Back in 2019 BMA Scotland warned the dispute was affecting patient care. On that occasion the Scottish Government stepped in with a temporary fix to allow employee contributions to be rerouted back into basic pay rather than tipping senior staff into being penalised for paying too much into their pensions.

This week, Dr Graeme Eunson said the move was “wrong-headed and counter-productive”.

A BMA survey of 1,000 Scots doctors found just over 60% would be likely to work fewer hours in an effort to avoid higher bills, while 37% said they might give up additional roles or responsibilities.

In a blog posted online, Dr Eunson said: “These figures show that freezing the lifetime allowance threatens to blow another substantial hole in a workforce that is already stretched to the very limit across both secondary and primary care.

“It is clear it will mean doctors will either cut hours or leave entirely as a result, when the financial reality hits home and levels of care will inevitably suffer.”

While the UK government is being urged to tackle the problem at source, the BMA says Ministers in Scotland “could be doing far more”.

This, the organisation suggests, could include offering stopgap measures and a one-off compensation scheme that were available in England and Wales.

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