Announced on May 22, 2025, it was revealed that NHS consultants, specialists, GPs and dentists will receive the above-inflation increase for the second year in a row. This comes as the health secretary Wes Streeting accepted the pay recommendations from the independent pay review bodies.
The Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that the increase will be seen in pay packets from August 2025, two months earlier than 2024.
Wes commented, “We cannot build an NHS fit for the future without your expertise and commitment. This government was never going to be able to fully reverse a decade and a half of neglect overnight, but this year’s pay award represents significant progress in making sure you’re properly recognised.”
The British Dental Association (BDA) has said the pay increase will not cover the real cost of providing care.
Shiv Pabary, chair of the BDA’s General Dental Practice Committee, said, “On paper dentists are being offered an uplift of four per cent. The reality is they won’t see anything like this, unless ministers cover the mounting cost of care.
“Without real change, practices will remain stuck delivering NHS work at a loss and the exodus from this service will continue.”