GPs should not be left paying to fix NHS pension mistakes

Holly Gibson, Partner and Healthcare sector specialist at leading accountancy firm Price Bailey discusses missed deadlines, ongoing delays and the personal consequences medics are left to navigate following failings in the McCloud Remedy.

Almost two years after the NHS pension remedy process began, and more than a year after the original deadline for issuing all Remediable Service Statements (RSSs) was missed, around 99% of members in the immediate-choice cohort, those who had already retired, are still waiting for their pensions to be recalculated, according to data published by NHS Networks earlier this year. More recent figures from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) for June 2026, show that 441,422 Remediable Service Statement (RSS) remained outstanding.

The continued failure to issue Remediable Service Statements (RSS) and recalculate pensions is creating significant anxiety for many retired medics. I see this every day in my work, and these are individuals who should, by this stage of their lives, have clarity about their financial position.

The scale of the problem for GPs is particularly concerning. A Freedom of Information request submitted by the BMA to NHSBSA in April 2025 showed that 56% of GPs in England (18,575 individuals) were still waiting for their pension records to be updated. These were records that should have been addressed in 2022/23 and, collectively, represented 156,896 years of missing pension data.

The issue now is that all those years of uncertainty around pensions have left many medics anxious and struggling to make decisions about their retirement because they simply do not know what their final pension position will be. This is affecting how much they feel able to spend, whether they can help their children or grandchildren financially, and how they approach inheritance planning. Some are reluctant to make significant financial decisions because they do not know whether the figures they have been given are accurate.

It is also interesting to see recent Health Foundation analysis showing that 1 in 10 GP partners earn at least £250,000 a year. What is missing from the analysis is the hours they work, the fact that they may have had to put personal funds into the practice to keep it afloat, they wear many hats being business owners, navigating new funding constraints each year, and patient facing doctors. Whilst the number reported sounds high, let’s not forget what has gone into achieving that number and that it doesn’t mean financial certainty for your retirement if you cannot control your pension or even access the correct information. For some GPs, the uncertainty around their pension means they are reluctant to spend the money they have worked hard to accumulate because they do not have a clear picture of what their financial position will ultimately be.

There is also a wider, systemic issue here that needs addressing. GPs should receive an annual benefit statement showing their NHS pension benefits, yet many are still struggling to access accurate and up-to-date information. GPs should be able to access their pension records online through NHSBSA’s ‘My NHS Pension’ portal. However, the BMA has raised concerns that the system is not fit for purpose.

In our work, when supporting GPs who have had to seek private financial advice, for example, we are finding that some individuals are having to go back to practices who they worked for, for several years, who by now are unlikely to hold the records the individual needs. This creates a difficult situation, as reconstructing an individual’s earnings and pension history can be extremely difficult, which in turn can delay resolution even further.

Not only this, but there is currently no support to help cover the cost of professional financial advice or the investigation that may be required to establish a doctor’s pension position. I believe these costs should be considered by the NHSBSA where their failures have contributed to this problem.

Doctors, many of whom have had careers that require considerable personal sacrifice, should be able to retire with confidence in the pension they have earned. They should not have to face further stress or additional costs simply to establish what they are entitled to. Nor should they have to choose between the valuable NHS pension benefits that are rightfully theirs and the certainty that comes from knowing where they stand.

Holly Gibson, Partner and Healthcare sector specialist at Price Bailey