Responding to our concerns about delays in the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) arrears payments being issued to GDPs, the Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has confirmed an earlier payment schedule for 2025-26 arrears payments than what had previously been outlined.
The Minister has instructed the Business Services Organisation (BSO) to issue the first stage of payments in March 2026, with the remainder to be paid between April and June 2026.
Read the letter from Minister Nesbitt.
BSO had previously indicated that arrears payments would not be received by practitioners until June/July. In response, we intervened to highlight the unreasonable and unacceptable delay in DDRB uplift payments owed to GDPs at a recent meeting with the Minister.
An accelerated timeline for arrears payment has been secured as a result.
Moreover, we have highlighted the importance of more timely payments of DDRB uplifts to GDPs going forward.
In his response, the Minister has committed his officials to working with BSO to support clear and timely communication with the profession. Officials have also been instructed to examine the end-to-end process for implementing the pay uplift for GDPs to consider how improvements can be made so that future payments can be made at the earliest practicable opportunity.
The 2026-27 DDRB report is anticipated to be published in early March; we will continue to press to ensure uplifts are expedited to GDPs without unnecessary delay, and with due diligence on all parties going forward.
