A ONE per cent pay rise for Scotland's doctors will cause "widespread disappointment and anger", the British Medical Association claims.

Nursing leaders also claimed staff were being forced to "bear the brunt of austerity" after the Scottish Government provided a below-inflation uplift for NHS staff.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said the one per cent wage cap for those earning more than £22,000 is in line with independent recommendations.

Meanwhile, on salaries below this threshold will have a rise of at least £400.

However, the Royal College of Nursing (RCS) said staff had suffered a 14 per cent pay cut in real terms since 2010 and Dr Peter Bennie, chair of the BMA in Scotland, said: "The announcement that yet again the pay of doctors in Scotland will go up by just one per cent while the rate of inflation is at 2.3 per cent means that once again doctors' pay will decline in real terms.

"Repeated years of real-terms cuts to doctors' pay have taken a substantial toll on incomes and do nothing to address the significant recruitment and retention difficulties across all grades of doctor.

"At a time when doctors' workloads are increasing like never before, there will be widespread disappointment and anger at the decision to continue this approach."

Recent figures reveal almost 400 vacant consultant positions, almost half of which have been unfilled for at least six months.

Simon Barker, chair of BMA Scotland's consultants committee, said the Scottish Government had disregarded independent advice to increase distinction awards and other parts of consultant pay deals.

He said this gives "exactly the wrong message to a consultant workforce that has been delivering more and more, year on year, from an already inadequate budget," adding: "We will never recruit and retain the specialists that our health service needs if we fail to recognise and reward their efforts."

RCN associate director Norman Provan said: "As a result of today’s announcement, the gap between nurses’ pay and the cost of living will grow ever wider.

"Once again, the Scottish Government has missed an opportunity to close the gap between nurses' pay and inflation, and nurses will continue to bear the brunt of austerity measures in the NHS in Scotland."

However, Robison said overall investment will help attract new medics and improve conditions, adding: "NHS employees are the health service's most valuable asset and we value their contribution enormously.

"I recognise that pay restraint has been difficult, however this must be seen in the context of the significant cuts we have seen to Scotland's budget in recent years."