Outrage over NHS job advert for most cancer surgeons paying just £33,000 per 12 months

A viral job advert for a top cancer surgeon in London has sparked outrage after it emerged Britons were paid just £33,000 in 12 months.

In an advertisement launched on 31 May, Barts Health NHS Trust advertised a Royal College of Surgeons-accredited neuro-oncology fellowship.

But the fellowship, which specializes in the administration and therapy of brain and spinal cord tumors, was listed for just £33,790 to £53,132.

However, the 12-month fixed-term contract, based primarily at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, East London, is limited to those in CCT/ST8 rank.

As ST8 – trainee 12 months eight – medics have already worked as trainees for ten years after 5 years of medical training.

After commencing their studies, all medical graduates must complete a two-year basic coaching program earlier than specialist coaching, which can take up to eight years.

As CCT/ST8 candidates have additionally completed or are about to complete counseling exams.

Responsibilities of the post include a post at the Royal London Hospital, supervision of an ST3 intern – 12 months of three specialist interns – after hours and weekly attendance at the multidisciplinary neuro-oncology clinic at St. Bartholomew Hospital.

The fellow is expected to “regularly review neuro-oncology patients before and after surgery”.

But taking to social media, Britons came out in droves to share their outrage at the expected wages.

In a Twitter statement that attracted 9.1 million views and more than 1,000 retweets, one person wrote: “The UK needs a hard reset.”

‘Dumb. I hope no one signs up,” another user commented.

“UK is one of the most unattractive countries to work as a doctor” and I want to say I am shocked. I’m afraid not, there have been mixed reactions.

TikTok recently certified doctor @Saifs.Space, who will quickly start as a doctor on a 12-month basis in London, mentioned: “This is the person who will operate on your or your relative’s brain tumors if you are so unwell and it is a very expert and really specialized job.

In the video, which has been viewed more than 291,000 times, he added: “It’s such a shame. It’s what we think our healthcare professionals are worth in the UK.

“It just isn’t,” he mentioned.

In response to TikTok, customers expressed outrage at the expected wages. “I’m so sorry this is ridiculous – this country is a joke,” one replied.

Another asked: “Is it worth starting medicine in September?”

Barts Health NHS Trust is probably one of the largest acute care trusts in NHS England.

Founded in 2012, it operates 5 hospitals in the City of London and East London.

Disgruntled NHS medics say the pandemic has undermined how poorly they are regarded in the UK, fueling a wave of strikes across the UK to increase their pay.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the group behind the move, says its workforce has suffered a 26% drop in real pay since 2008/09.

Solving this problem means a 35% salary increase.

If accepted by ministers, some medics could see their salaries rise by as much as £20,000.

BMA co-chairman Vivek Trivedi has urged that the BMA is ready to do a deal that could see this renewal done over several years rather than in one big leap.

However, ministers say the unions’ calls for a double-digit pay rise are simply out of reach and will come at the expense of care for those affected.

There are few signs of a compromise, and as the dispute drags on, the lists drawn up by the NHS are growing to document ranges and more staff are asking to leave the UK.

The lowest paid junior doctors earn an annual salary of £29,384 from their first 12 months.

The BMA says this can reach around £14.09 an hour. But it depends on whether they do not work on weekends or at night, or whether the income is outside the regulation.

The basic salary of a senior junior doctor – ST6 to ST8 in their final years of specialist training – is capped at £58,398 each year.

As is often the case in many industries, physician assistants earn extra if they work off-hours, nights, or weekends.

Growing anger among doctors over poor pay and situations surrounding poor pay has already led to more British doctors, nurses and midwives looking to redeploy overseas, with Australia at the top of their record.

In 2022, almost 25,000 functions were carried out by UK healthcare regulators to obtain documents seeking employment abroad. The vast majority are NHS workers.

Figures obtained by MailOnline show that by 2022 almost 7,000 doctors could have requested documents to help the software work overseas from the UK medical regulator the General Medical Council (GMC). This was an increase from 6,100 in 2019.

Individual figures for 2023, which are just for May, show that the 12 months will see a good larger exodus with nearly 3,500 features his or her documents so far.