A committee of MPs has criticised the UK Government’s refusal to pledge pay higher salaries to digital specialists in the NHS to enable it to compete with the private sector.
Steve Brine MP, chair of Parliament’s Health and Social Care Committee, has highlighted the issue in its response to the Government’s response to its report on Digital Transformation in the NHS, published earlier in the summer.
He also expressed disappointment that the Government rejected the recommendation for an accreditation scheme for third party healthcare apps.
The committee emphasised that the majority of its recommendations have been accepted outright or in principle, including support for a nationwide standards framework aimed at improving interoperability and data sharing across systems.
The response document says the Government largely agrees with the committee’s recommendations and that this is reflected in an ongoing packages of work, focused on removing legacy IT systems, fostering innovation through the NHS App, supporting digital maturity and interoperability and upskilling the digital health and care workforce.
Absence of flexibilities
But it responds to a call for additional pay measures for digital staff, which would include bonuses and capability based allowances, by saying there is a need for a broader approach. It points out there is competition for digital, data and technology professionals across all sectors, and that the Agenda for Change framework does not currently allow for certain pay flexibilities, such as the use of recruitment and retention premiums.
Instead, the Government plans to set out additional measures in the upcoming National Digital Workforce Plan.
Brine said the position could cause further problems for the NHS.
“We are concerned that the Government has rejected our call to help the NHS as it battles to recruit and retain the specialist digital workforce needed now,” he said. “Ministers blame an ‘inflexible’ pay structure, yet it is in their hands to change it and we would argue is rather self-defeating to leave things as they are in what is an extremely competitive and global workforce.
“Increased digital transformation of NHS services could help tackle backlogs and what is needed is the freedom to recruit and keep the outstanding talent who can bring this about through higher pay and bonuses.
“In responding to our report, the Government appears to have also missed an opportunity to introduce an accreditation scheme to verify third party healthcare apps which would have empowered people to use safe and trusted apps to prevent ill health. We will be returning to all these issues.”
Responding to the call for accreditation of digital health technologies and health apps, the Government questioned the effectiveness of such a scheme and whether it would provide good value in the use of public funds.
