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Female NHS workers earn almost a quarter less than men

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Female NHS workers earn almost a quarter less than men

Women working in the NHS earn almost a quarter less than their male counterparts, recent figures reveal – with the average full time female worker paid £28,072 annually versus £37,470 for the average man. 

NHS Digital compiled the data for the government using mean rather than median figures. It looks at a range of NHS roles including managers, nurses and cleaners, as well as breaking down earnings for doctors of all grades.

Among doctors, there is a gender pay gap of 15 per cent, with male doctors earning £67,788 in basic pay versus £57,569 for female doctors.

More senior positions for men

Dr Sally Davies of the Medical Woman’s Federation said that the NHS Digital figures were not surprising, and highlight the fact that men and women don’t have the same opportunities for career progression: “It reflects the fact that men are more likely to make it into senior positions. It is the same issue we have seen in the rest of the economy.

“I think it raises serious questions for the NHS and government. I would like to know what they are going to do about it.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring that our hardworking NHS staff are rewarded fairly and equally for their work regardless of gender.

“The department is working closely with NHS organisations to support them in closing their gender pay gaps and has committed to an independent review of the gender pay gap in medicine.”

Community pharmacy gender gap

Overall, 78 per cent of UK companies have a pay gap that favours men, according to the BBC. 

P3 has broken down figures for the community pharmacy sector using the BBC’s gender pay gap calculator. For example, AAH Pharmaceuticals has a higher than average reported gender pay gap of 17 per cent, while LloydsPharmacy has a below average gap of three per cent.

Boots Management Services Limited reported that the average female employee earns five per cent less than the average man – a lower pay gap than the national average of 9.7 per cent. The company says that in order to address the gender pay gap it will do more to encourage flexible working policies and roll out 'unconscious bias' training.

In a report published by the company, senior vice president and managing director Elizabeth Fagan said: “Championing equality of opportunity and creating an environment where all of our colleagues can thrive is very close to my heart and a guiding principle of my leadership.”

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