Cold comfort

BEFORE doctors consider unprecedented action over pensions, and presumably as part of a wider strategy on their part to disrupt still further the Government’s NHS reforms, they should, perhaps, consider the plight of Britain’s retirees – the people they treat.

By The Newsroom

Published 27th Feb 2012, 09:34 BST

According to a new survey, Yorkshire workers preparing for retirement will need an additional £142 a week – or £7,102 a year – in order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle during their latter years.

This survey has performed an invaluable role – it has laid bare, in the clearest possible manner, the scale of Britain’s pensions crisis and the painful medication that will have to be taken by all.

This clarity will certainly help to better inform the debate and inject some urgency into the political reforms now underway.

That said, the British Medical Association should remember that most people can only dream about the pension provision made available to its members and any industrial action will not be backed by patients who, frankly, can no longer afford to keep past and present public officials in the comfort that they still seem to expect.