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A long-awaited review of pay and contracts for doctors has finally been launched following strong criticism of the pay disparity between frontline medical staff and their administrative counterparts.
The salary discrepancies had previously been branded "insulting" to junior doctors, while other health staff said that they were detrimental to current employees' morale and the Health Department's ability to recruit.
The Government said the review aimed to ensure the Health Department can "attract and retain high quality medical practitioners" in future.
During a recent social media discussion on the topic, local Consultant Cardiologist Dr Andrew Mitchell asked whether it was "time for proper review of medical salaries?".
Former Chief Minister Kristina Moore replied that "the previous SEB [States Employment Board] had committed to doing that…".
Following queries from Express, the new Government confirmed that they would be continuing this work.
So basic salary for our newly qualified doctors is £32,398 (F1) which works out as about £15.50 an hour (assuming a 40hr week). My son (who is a medical student) gets more than that working in outpatients as a healthcare assistant. Time for proper review of medical salaries?
— Dr Andrew Mitchell (@mitcharj) February 27, 2024
Deputy Malcolm Ferey, Vice-Chair of the SEB, said: "A review of pay and contracts for doctors has begun to ensure that we are able to attract and retain high quality medical practitioners across Health and Community Services.
"The Chief Minister and the States Employment Board appreciate the significant and essential role of all frontline workers including doctors."
Deputy Moore said: “I’m pleased to hear the new Government haven’t derailed the progress we were making in this important area."
Another example of where pay structures are so wrong for medical staff morale, retention and recruitment. A rota change manager being offered over 1.5 times the salary of the Junior Doctors who have more responsibility and risk https://t.co/JyPI3n79R2 #payrestoration pic.twitter.com/p2JFYU9uai
— Dr Andrew Mitchell (@mitcharj) December 6, 2023
She continued: "In our first year of office one of our three areas of relentless focus was recruitment and retention.
"We achieved significant improvements in vacancy rates in both education and health.”
In December, two Health admin roles – a 'Rota Change Manager' and a 'Freedom to Speak Up Guardian' – came under fire when they were advertised on the Government's website for an annual salary of up to £67,874 and £74,599 respectively.
Dr Mitchell took to social media at the time to slam the Rota Change Manager salary as "another example of where pay structures are so wrong for medical staff morale, retention and recruitment".
He criticised the renumeration for being over one-and-a-half times the salary of junior doctors, who he said "have more responsibility and risk", while Dr Moyra Journeaux, a registered nurse and postgraduate programme manager, branded the advert as "atrocious".
However, the Health Department said that the Rota Change role had been "appropriately evaluated", and that junior doctor pay was in line with the NHS, with a Jersey supplement.
Pictured: The 'Freedom to Speak Up Guardian' role was advertised for between £67,874 and £74,599 per year.
Following the backlash, a local junior doctor told Express that she found the pay of admin staff compared to junior doctors as "very unfair and disheartening".
Ella – whose name was changed to protect her anonymity – described the work of a junior doctor as "long and complex, mentally taxing and often emotional".
She said: "I feel it is worthwhile pointing out that the title junior doctor doesn’t refer to a student or being ‘nearly a doctor’. The majority of doctors are junior doctors, who make up the bulk of the workforce. You can remain a junior doctor for your entire career."
Pictured: One local junior doctor told Express that "Jersey's hospital cannot function without the junior doctors".
Ella continued: "Our standard days are long and complex, mentally taxing and often emotional.
"Our night shifts – particularly weekends – are well known to be demanding, wearying and gruelling due to the sheer stress. We simply brace ourselves to go through the 13-hour on-call shifts with no breaks and often failing to get a single opportunity to properly eat."
She added: "Seeing these administrative pay offers makes you question why you go through so many years of unremitting (and expensive) study only to find yourself on a salary that cannot even allow you to rent a property here with enough left over to save.
"Imagine the tragedy If I end up leaving my career for an easier one (such as this advertised admin role), because I would be paid more doing that then I would as a doctor. Who then is going to look after your parents, your children, and yourself when you are sick? What happens when enough junior doctors feel that way?
"The answer? The system will fall apart. Jersey's hospital cannot function without the junior doctors."
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