Thousands of extra NHS staff have returned to work post-retirement, after a rule change allowed them to take their pensions and then rejoin their generous pension scheme.
NHS staff can leave their roles, start taking their pension, and then go back to work under a scheme known as retire and return.
But even if they returned to work, they could not rejoin the NHS pension scheme until a rule change was implemented in 2023.
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In the year immediately after that change was implemented, 18,725 NHS staff used retire and return, according to data supplied by the NHS Business Services Authority.
This is the highest figure on record and compares to just 4,697 in 2020/21.
Figures dipped slightly in 2024/25 to 12,597, but the overall trend still suggests that more NHS staff are open to returning to the workforce.
Graham Crossley, NHS pensions specialist at Quilter, which obtained the data via a freedom of information request, said: “This data shows just how much appetite there is for flexibility among NHS staff.
“Retire-and-return and partial retirement are proving vital for retaining experienced clinicians and nurses, but they also add complexity.
“Without proper guidance, staff risk making decisions that could affect their long-term financial security. Anyone considering these options should seek expert advice to avoid unintended consequences.”
The figures from Quilter show that nurses and officers – which include administrative and managerial roles – make up the majority of NHS staff using retire and return.
Before 2023, retiring NHS staff could not rejoin the NHS Pension Scheme and instead joined a less generous pension scheme.
More regular use of retire and return could help Labour deliver on its pledge to cut NHS waiting lists.
In recent years, governments have tried to use pension policy as a way of retaining experienced staff, particularly in the NHS.
In 2023, for example, then chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, abolished the pensions lifetime allowance, a cap on how much people could save into their pensions or the amount of investment growth their pensions portfolio could benefit from before tax charges kicked in.
That same year also saw the introduction of “partial retirement,” which allowed experienced NHS staff over the age of 55 to take a combination of monthly pension income and an initial tax-free lump sum from their pension pot while still working, as long as they reduced their pensionable pay.
But both partial retirement and retire and return are automatic rights which require the consent of an NHS staff member’s employer. This can be a barrier in some circumstances.
NHS pensions are run on a defined benefit (DB) system, and are more lucrative than most private sector pensions. Employees build up an entitlement to an annual income in retirement, regardless of how long they live.
Most private sector pension schemes run on a defined contribution (DC) system, where workers build up a pot and manage this during their retirement.
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