The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has confirmed there are no plans to reduce the NHS pension age to 60, responding to a petition that gathered more than 38,000 signatures.
The petition, launched on the Parliament website by Kirsty Uttley on September 17, called for the retirement age for NHS staff pensions to be lowered to 60. It surpassed the 10,000 signatures required for a Government response, which was confirmed on October 7 and delivered on October 19.
Current NHS pension age rules
The NHS Pension Scheme sets different normal pension ages depending on which section an employee belongs to. Under the 1995 section, the normal pension age is 60, while under the 2008 section it is 65. For the 2015 scheme, the normal pension age is linked to the State Pension age, which is currently 66 and rises to 67 between May 2026 and April 2028, or age 65 if that is later.
Members with special class status in the 1995 section may have the right to retire from a normal pension age of 55. The minimum retirement age for members of the 1995 and 2008 sections is between 50 and 55, depending on when they joined the scheme. For members who joined the 2015 scheme after November 3, 2021, the minimum retirement age will rise from 55 to 57 in 2028.
Government response and rationale
The DHSC response stated: "The Government recognises the vital contribution of NHS staff. The NHS Pension Scheme provides valuable benefits and options to retire early, but there are no plans to reduce its normal pension age."
The response added that the scheme is updated from time to time, with the latest changes made in 2015 following reforms to most public service pension schemes based on recommendations from the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, chaired by Lord Hutton, which reported in 2011. The increase in the normal pension age reflected increases in life expectancy and changes in working and retirement patterns among NHS staff.
The DHSC noted that reducing the normal pension age would result in significant additional costs that would need to be met by scheme members, employers, taxpayers, or a combination of all three.
Petition concerns and scheme flexibilities
The petition argued that NHS staff face extreme physical and mental burnout daily, with high stress and long shifts risking employee health and patient safety. It stated: "We believe having staff work until 65+ is dangerous, risks employee health and compromises patient safety."
The DHSC response highlighted flexibilities within the scheme, including the Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out (ERRBO) facility, which allows members to pay additional contributions to retire up to three years before their normal pension age without the usual actuarial reduction. Partial retirement is also available, and members who retire can return to NHS employment and re-join the scheme to build up further pension benefits.
The response also noted that members who are unable to continue working until normal pension age due to ill health can access ill-health retirement benefits at any age.
