Most people in Great Britain believe that new junior doctors, nurses and health care assistants are underpaid, senior doctors and matrons are paid about right,
and NHS CEOs are paid too much, according to a new study.
About half the people surveyed indicated that newly qualified junior doctors are paid too little, with this sentiment increasing to three in five (60 per cent) among
Labour voters.
The research conducted by the Policy Institute at King's College London, King's Business School, and Ipsos also showed that more people believe NHS staff overall were
badly paid than well paid.
Dr Nick Krachler, senior lecturer in Human Resource Management at King's Business School, said: "Our survey shows considerable alignment between public perception
of NHS pay levels and the claims of trade unions and professional associations that pay levels - which are determined by government after consultation from a Pay
Review Body - are unsatisfactory for frontline NHS roles."
He highlighted the urgent need to address healthcare workers' economic wellbeing, hoping that the new government will consider it in its upcoming negotiations with
junior doctors this week.
The recent industrial action by junior doctors and hospital dental trainees, which is considered the longest strike in NHS history, caused a significant
impact on the NHS services.
Data published by NHS England showed that 113,779 inpatient and outpatient appointments were rescheduled due to the strike, which began on Wednesday 3 January
at 7.00am and finished at 7.00am on Tuesday 9 January.
Junior doctors make up around half of all doctors in the health service, but 25,446 staff remained absent from work at the peak of the last week's latest action.
The ongoing dispute between junior doctors and government over the 2022/23 pay award has disrupted more than one million hospital appointments so far.
The junior doctors' strike in December 2023 impacted 86,329 hospital appointments, and their previous action in October saw over 86,000 appointments cancelled.