Model letter to deanery from flexible trainees enquiring about pay protection


June 2006

Dear <insert name of PG dean>

Flexible training contract and pay protection

As you are aware, at the direction of the <insert name of deanery>, I have recently moved placement from <name of employer> to <name of employer> as part of my place on the <insert name of rotation> as a flexible trainee. As a result of this transfer, I have had to begin a new contract of employment, which has meant that my pay is now calculated under the terms of the revised arrangements for flexible trainees, which have been in place since June 2005.

My salary under the new contract has reduced significantly. Under the previous arrangements I would have been paid in my new post at [FA]/[FB]* which was a rate of [1.25]/[1.05]* of full basic salary. My new post is banded at <insert banding e.g. F7B> which equates to <insert rate e.g. 0.98>** of full basic salary. Given that prior to starting in post, I had no expectation that my salary would drop so significantly, I was unable to plan for this financially and consequently I believe I should benefit from pay protection.

I am aware that under the terms of the 2005 agreement on flexible training, an additional recurrent £7m was allocated to postgraduate deaneries to help implement the arrangements. A certain amount of this additional funding was to help finance the transitional pay protection arrangements, but I also understand from the BMA that a further proportion was to be dedicated to assisting ‘doctors in difficulty’. Given that my net monthly salary has unexpectedly decreased by £<insert figure>, I fall into both categories of beneficiary.

I should therefore be grateful if you would be able to release some of the deanery’s share of the recurrent £7 million pounds for the purposes of pay protection for my pre-June 2005 salary.

I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Yours sincerely,



<your name>


* delete as appropriate
** refer to Table 1 below for the appropriate pay rate

Table 1
F5A
F6A F7A F8A F9A
0.75
0.9 1.05 1.2 1.35
F5B
F6B F7B F8B F9B
0.7
0.84 0.98 1.12 1.26
F5C
F6C F7C F8C F9C
0.6 0.72 0.84 0.96 1.08

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