Government rejects NHS petition to cut pension age to 60

The Government has rejected a petition calling for the normal pension age for NHS staff to be cut to 60, after it gathered more than 37,000 signatures.

The petition, created by Kirsty Uttley and titled “Reduce the retirement age for NHS staff pension scheme to 60”, has attracted 37,409 signatures and remains open until 17 March 2027. Having crossed the 10,000-signature threshold, it required a formal Government response, though it has not reached the 100,000 signatures generally needed for a petition to be considered for debate in Parliament. (https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/26652801.nhs-pension-age-petition-government-responds-retirement-demand/?ref=rss)

In its response, published on 19 October, the Department of Health and Social Care 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 set out the current normal pension ages: 60 for members of the 1995 Section, 65 for members of the 2008 Section, and a normal pension age linked to State Pension age for members of the 2015 Scheme. The State Pension age is currently 66 and is rising to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028. (https://www.which.co.uk/money/pensions-and-retirement/state-pension/state-pension-age-calculator-aIGrn9D5tei4)

It warned 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.

The petition argues NHS staff face “extreme physical and mental burnout daily”, and that “high stress and long shifts can risk employee health and patient safety”. It says allowing earlier retirement could help prevent workforce exhaustion, attract younger professionals and reduce staff turnover. (https://www.eastrennews.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/26652801.nhs-pension-age-petition-government-responds-retirement-demand/)

The Department pointed instead to existing options: pensions can be claimed before normal pension age with a reduction in payments, minimum pension ages of 50 to 55 for the older sections, partial retirement, the Early Retirement Reduction Buy Out for 2015 Scheme members, and ill-health retirement.

It is not the first such rejection: the Government also turned down a separate petition for ambulance workers’ pension age to be cut to 60 in September. (https://www.dissmercury.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/26598889.government-responds-calls-major-pension-age-change/)