WIREDGOV

NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson responded to news that doctors in England will have their tax bills covered by the NHS in order to encourage them to take on extra overtime shifts

“This is good news for patients as we head into what is expected to be a very challenging winter for the NHS. We support NHS England’s plan to make sure that senior clinical staff are not penalised for undertaking extra work. This is obviously a stop gap measure but if it helps relieve pressures on front line services this winter and makes sure patients are treated then all to the good.

“This arrangement provides some immediate and welcome certainty, but as soon as the election is over we need the incoming government to prioritise delivering a long-term solution ahead of the start of the next financial year in April.

“We have already proposed that extra work carried out by consultants be excluded from the tapered annual allowance calculation, but we also want to see an eventual change in the tax laws which have produced these perverse consequences for front-line staff providing vital care for patients.”