NHS consultants claiming more than £150,000 in overtime She told the newspaper: "We need to see more consultants working out of hours, but not on these absurd and excessive rates. She continued: "In the current climate, for individual consultants to be so greedy for doing what most public servants do for nothing, sticks in the gullet." The figures are likely to increase calls for an overhaul of consultants" contracts. A Department of Health spokesman said changes were "long overdue" and £5.5 billion was spent on consultant pay each year. He said: "We are in discussions with doctors" representatives and working hard to make the right changes so that they reward doctors fairly for life-saving work that they do, without preventing the NHS from providing the best services for patients. The current contract for junior doctors also needs to be improved. Together, these changes will make sure doctors have the right training and rewards to look after patients from the moment they are newly qualified until the day they retire as an experienced consultant.