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Salary guidance schedule for occupational physicians

April 2007
Introduction
This supplement sets out British Medical Association guidance for the remuneration of occupational physicians. It has been prepared to assist:

• doctors who work as occupational physicians
• employers who require the services of occupational physicians, either
• as employees or as self-employed contractors organisations which provide occupational health services.

Basis of guidance
The association believes that, as a minimum, doctors working as occupational physicians should earn a comparable amount to doctors who work in the NHS hospital service. Doctors’ pay in the NHS is determined annually by the government, following the annual recommendations of the independent Doctors and Dentists Review Body (DDRB). The DDRB exercises its judgement on the appropriate level of remuneration for doctors based on many factors, including comparability with other professions and the state of the economy. The 36th report was published in March 2007 containing recommendations for doctors’ pay from 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008.

This guidance takes into account the expected seniority and responsibilities of each grade of occupational physician in relation to his/her NHS counterparts. These range from specialist registrars to consultants in receipt of clinical excellence awards. Details of the duties expected of an occupational physician are set out in appendix. A new contract for consultants was introduced in the NHS in 2003 and this guidance reflects this.