Read on Twitter
Sadly I missed a lot of these tweets overnight (Australian time).
I’m glad you enjoyed your 35 year NHS career, David. With a view to ‘living in each others shoes’, lets see how a few things compare…
1/n https://twitter.com/theveindoc/status/1339965797297483782
I’m glad you enjoyed your 35 year NHS career, David. With a view to ‘living in each others shoes’, lets see how a few things compare…
1/n https://twitter.com/theveindoc/status/1339965797297483782
So. It’s 1979, & a young @theveindoc has just qualified…
The great socialist that you are, I’m sure you took umbrage at your free university tuition & free hospital accommodation.
In case you missed it, this has all gone.
2/n
The great socialist that you are, I’m sure you took umbrage at your free university tuition & free hospital accommodation.
In case you missed it, this has all gone.
2/n
In 1979, medical pay for House Officers had increased by 13.6% over the prior 5 years. The starting salary is £6K PA (equivalent to £34K today).
The current F1 salary is £28K, so a 20% cut in real terms.
3/n
The current F1 salary is £28K, so a 20% cut in real terms.
3/n
You doubtless worked hard as an SHO (up to £9K or 48K today), Registrar (£11K, or £58K), & Senior Reg (£13K, or £70K) & bought a home.
The average house price in 1979 was £17K, so x4 your House Officer salary. Today, it’s £262K, or x9 an FY1s salary.
4/n
The average house price in 1979 was £17K, so x4 your House Officer salary. Today, it’s £262K, or x9 an FY1s salary.
4/n
(Obviously, free tuition & accommodation helps with that deposit too, right?)
5/n
5/n
You qualified as a consultant in 2003, with a starting salary of £82K (or £130K in real-terms today). The starting salary is still £82K, so a 39% pay cut in real terms.
Obviously you paid into your NHS final salary pension too. Yeah, that’s gone.
6/n
Obviously you paid into your NHS final salary pension too. Yeah, that’s gone.
6/n
TL, DR: baby boomer doctors enjoyed all the same advantages as the rest of the boomers (advantages which they happily removed for the rest of us).
An NHS career today still has much to recommend it, but an awful lot has changed - & not for the better.
An NHS career today still has much to recommend it, but an awful lot has changed - & not for the better.
