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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Natasha May Health reporter

NSW Health could save $35m a year by giving psychiatrists a 25% pay rise, modelling suggests

A doctor with a patient
NSW psychiatrists resigned en masse from staff specialist positions last month after the government rejected their proposed solution of a special levy to increase their pay by 25%. Photograph: SDI Productions/Getty Images

NSW Health could save $35m a year and improve patient care by giving psychiatrists a 25% pay rise compared with what it is now spending on staff due to a reliance on contractors to fill vacancies, according to modelling seen by Guardian Australia.

The modelling, conducted by a group of senior psychiatrists who have worked in medical administration, assumes the pay rise would entice psychiatrists back to work as staff specialists, who are employed in permanent roles in New South Wales public health, and reduce the state’s reliance on casual doctors, known as locums, over four years.

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