The Government has responded to calls for NHS staff to be allowed to retire at 60, after a petition arguing that long shifts, heavy workloads and workplace burnout are putting workers under extreme pressure.
The petition, created by Kirsty Uttley, has attracted 37,409 signatures and calls for the normal retirement age for NHS pension scheme members to be lowered to 60.
It argues that the physical and mental demands of NHS jobs can leave staff exhausted, potentially putting their own health and patient safety at risk.
But the Government has confirmed it has no plans to reduce the normal pension age for NHS workers, pointing instead to existing options for early retirement and flexible working arrangements.
The petition remains open until March 17, 2027, and can be signed here.
Government responds to calls for NHS staff to retire at 60
In its response, published on October 19, the Department of Health and Social Care said the NHS Pension Scheme already provides valuable benefits and options for people who want to retire before their normal pension age.
The Government said: “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 explained that the normal pension age depends on which section of the NHS Pension Scheme a member belongs to.
- 1995 Section: normal pension age of 60.
- 2008 Section: normal pension age of 65.
- 2015 Scheme: normal pension age linked to the member's State Pension age.
The Government said the 2015 scheme's rules reflect reforms following recommendations from the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, chaired by Lord Hutton, which reported in 2011.
It added that reducing the normal pension age would bring significant additional costs, which would have to be met by scheme members, employers, taxpayers or a combination of the three.
Why the petition wants the NHS retirement age lowered
The petition argues that NHS employees face demanding working conditions, including long shifts, heavy workloads and intense stress.
It states: “We are concerned NHS staff are facing extreme physical and mental burnout daily. High stress and long shifts can risk employee health and patient safety.”
It calls on the Government to lower the age at which NHS workers can draw their full pension, arguing that doing so could help prevent workforce exhaustion, attract younger professionals and reduce staff turnover.
The petition also says allowing staff to retire earlier could support frontline workers and help protect patients.
The Government's response acknowledged that pension arrangements can influence recruitment, retention, retirement decisions, workforce wellbeing and staff morale. However, it said existing pension flexibilities were intended to support staff during the later stages of their careers.
Can NHS staff retire before their normal pension age?
Although the Government has ruled out lowering the normal pension age across the scheme, some NHS staff can already retire earlier.
The Government said members can claim their pension before their normal pension age, but their payments will generally be reduced to reflect the fact that they are being paid for longer.
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 after November 3, 2021, and belong to the 2015 Scheme, the minimum pension age is due to rise from 55 to 57 in 2028.
The Government also highlighted several other options available to NHS pension scheme members.
Partial retirement allows eligible members to draw pension benefits while continuing to work and build up further pension benefits.
Returning to work is another option: members who retire and take their pension can, if they choose, return to NHS employment and rejoin the scheme to build up additional benefits.
Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out (ERRBO) allows members of the 2015 Scheme to pay extra contributions to retire up to three years before their normal pension age without the usual actuarial reduction applying to those benefits. Employers can choose to contribute towards the cost.
Staff who cannot continue working until their normal pension age because of ill health may also qualify for ill-health retirement benefits.
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What happens next?
The petition has already passed the 10,000-signature threshold, which required the Government to respond. It has not yet reached the 100,000 signatures generally needed for a petition to be considered for debate in Parliament.
It is open for signatures until March 17, 2027.
For now, the Government's position is that the normal pension age will remain unchanged, with early retirement and other flexibilities available under existing scheme rules.
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