Challenge FD pay cut

Following a consultation on the issue, the Department of Health has confirmed that the pay cut will apply to FDs in England. It is also expected to apply to trainees in Wales and Northern Ireland.

The BDA believes that targeting young dentists with a pay cut of eight per cent at the start of their careers is a cynical move that exploits the most vulnerable members of the profession.

The attack on FD salaries is expected to generate minimal savings for the NHS relative to the potential hardship it creates for dental graduates who are emerging from universities with an average debt of around £25k.

The BDA opposes any pay cut to FD salaries. We also believe that current final-year students have been placed in an intolerable situation where they will be forced to accept a financial arrangement that they were not aware of when they first applied.

The Department of Health’s justification that the pay cut brings dental salaries in line with their medical equivalents simply does not add up, the BDA believes.  With the opportunity to earn additional NHS income, medical trainees at the same point in their career earn on average nearly £40k, compared to this new salary of £28,076 for foundation dentists.