NHS to pay tax bills to get doctors back to work

Doctors in England have been promised their tax bills will be covered by the NHS in an attempt to get them back doing overtime shifts.

Doctors have been refusing to do extra work because they were being landed with bills after changes to the amount that can be accrued tax-free.

Senior NHS figures and ministers have signed off on the plan amid concern about the impact on waiting times.

Waiting times have hit their worst levels on record.

The data released last week showed delays in A&E and for routine operations were at their highest levels since targets were introduced more than a decade ago.

The row over the pension changes is considered to be just one factor in that.

But NHS leaders have been pushing ministers to agree to a short-term fix with pressure growing ahead of winter.

The proposal will mean doctors can take money out of their pension pots to pay the tax bills they get next year.

The NHS will then top up their pension pots before retirement, meaning the cost of the measure will be spread out over time.