Nearly half of the British public think young doctors are underpaid, research shows

A poll has shown that about half of the population believes that recently graduated nurses, doctors in training and healthcare assistants are underpaid.

The survey also found that more people thought NHS staff were generally poorly paid than well paid, amid signs that public sector pay could be a first test for the Labour government.

Dr Nick Krachler, a senior lecturer in human resource management at King’s College London (KCL), which conducted the research with pollster Ipsos, said: “Our research shows significant alignment between public perceptions of NHS pay levels and claims from trade unions and professional associations that pay levels … are unsatisfactory for frontline NHS roles.”

Leaders of 56,000 junior doctors in England are preparing to open formal negotiations with the Department of Health and Social Care on Tuesday to try to resolve the long-running dispute over their claim for a 35% pay rise, which has led to 11 strikes since March 2023.

Nearly half (47%) of respondents said recently qualified junior doctors – on a salary of £32,398 – were underpaid, while 32% thought they were paid the right amount and 6% said it was too much.

While 39% said NHS staff were paid fairly (30%) or very poorly (9%), a smaller percentage (29%) felt they were fairly or very well rewarded for their work.

Just over half of people said recent graduate nurses – on a salary of £28,407 – were underpaid, while almost as many said early career care assistants, on £22,383 a year, were underpaid.

Krachler said: “This underlines the urgent need to address the economic well-being of healthcare workers. I hope the new government will take this into account and consider it in its negotiations with the young doctors this week.”

Other findings, in a research published by Ipsos Before the recent general election, a majority of Britons were found to support junior doctors’ right to strike, even though 44 days of strikes over the past 16 months have forced the NHS to cancel a large number of appointments and operations.

Finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday hinted that public sector workers would get an above-inflation pay rise, in a bid to prevent a repeat of the widespread strikes that have disrupted the NHS, rail and other sectors since 2022.

But with pay review bodies reportedly recommending a 5.5% pay rise for teachers and nurses – well above the 2% inflation rate – unions are likely to push for a rise of more than the 3% the government has included in its calculations.

Polls by KCL and Ipsos found that there is much less understanding of the salaries of healthcare bosses and senior doctors, such as hospital consultants.

Six in 10 respondents said the chief executives of large NHS hospitals – who receive an average of around £250,000 a year – were overpaid, and only 4% thought they were underpaid. A quarter said senior doctors were overpaid, while 45% said their salaries – typically £118,884 – were the right amount.