By Mark Smulian | 24 June 2013
A joint employer and trade union exercise is to look at how the National Health Service will cope with a higher pension age.
The NHS Working Longer Review has called for evidence on the possible impact and how the NHS will be able to provide a high quality service with an ageing workforce.
This involves the service’s employers and the trade unions Unison, the Royal College of Nursing, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the British Medical Association, GMB and Unite.
Provisions in the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 mean that from 2015 up to 70% of the NHS workforce will have a pension age of between 65 and 68.
The review will run until September 5 and will seek evidence and local intelligence from NHS organisations, trade unions, employees and stakeholders to identify examples of good employment practice and policies. Findings will feed into the final report of the Working Longer Review to the NHS Staff Council and the Department of Health.
NHS Employers organisation director of employment relations and reward Gill Bellord said: ‘This is an important piece of work that will help the NHS to meet the needs of the ageing workforce and continue delivering excellent care.’
Staff side chair Gail Adams said the review would be important as ‘there is too much which remains unknown about the impact of working longer for the staff and service’.
