NHS staff in England have been offered a five per cent pay rise from April as the government and union officials have completed negotiations and come to a final offer. The deal will affect more than one million NHS staff, including nurses and ambulance workers.
The government and the NHS Staff Council – representing nurses, ambulance staff and other NHS workers – have completed negotiations and reached a final offer, a government spokesman has said. Further strikes by ambulance staff and other NHS workers have been called off and unions will recommend acceptance of a new pay offer to NHS workers, they have announced.
Staff have also been offered a one-off payment of at least £1,655 to top up the past year's pay award. The offer covers all NHS staff except doctors who are on a different contract, raising hopes that there has been a promising breakthrough in the long-burning issue of pay for hundreds of thousands of workers.
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At the start of the enduring pay row, unions had been asking for a 19.2 per cent rise, which the Prime Minister called "unaffordable". However, the five per cent offer made today (March 16), is an increase on the 3.5 per cent offer which had been suggested by the government earlier this year.
A joint statement from the government and the NHS Staff Council confirmed the offer included additional pay for 2022-23 and a pay settlement for 2023-24. Unison said the offer to NHS workers in England includes an additional one-off lump sum for 2022-23 that rises in value up the NHS pay bands.
This is worth £1,655 for staff at the bottom of band two, for example porters, cleaners and healthcare assistants, £2,009 for staff at the top of band five which would include nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, £2,162 at the top of band six for paramedics, health visitors, senior occupational therapists and £3,789 for staff at the top of band nine.
There will be a permanent 5 per cent pay rise on all pay points for 2023-24. Unison said the lowest pay point in the NHS will be £11.45 an hour – 55p higher than the voluntary real living wage.
The statement says both sides believe it represents “a fair and reasonable settlement” that acknowledges the dedication of NHS staff, while acknowledging the wider economic pressures currently facing the UK. Now, members will vote on the proposed deal.
“Those unions with mandates for industrial action, RCN, Unison, GMB, CSP, Unite and BDA, will now consult their members in consultations that will be held over the coming weeks. Strike action will continue to be paused while these ballots are ongoing,” the statement read.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay, speaking to broadcasters in his department, said he was “very pleased” that the NHS Staff Council had “agreed to recommend” the Government’s formal offer. He said meaning a newly qualified nurse would get an extra £1,800 this year on top of the existing deal and a pay rise of more than £1,300 next year from the new deal.
The government has added that it can guarantee that there will be no impact on frontline services or the quality of care that patients receive as a result of this pay offer.
Some fourteen unions were represented at the talks, covering nurses, ambulance workers, physiotherapists, midwives, and support staff such as cleaners and porters. The biggest three - the Royal College of Nursing, GMB and Unison - have said they are backing the deal.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen said: “The government was forced into these negotiations and to reopen the pay award as a result of the historic pressure from nursing staff. Members took the hardest of decisions to go on strike and I believe they have been vindicated today.
“After tough negotiations, there are a series of commitments here that our members can see will make a positive impact on the nursing profession, the NHS and the people who rely on it. Our members will have their say on it and I respect everybody’s perspective. Each should look closely at what it means for them.
“As well as the additional money now, we have made real progress with the government on safe staffing measures, a new pay structure for nursing, support for newly qualified staff and pensions too. It is not a panacea, but it is real, tangible progress and the RCN’s member leaders are asking fellow nursing staff to support what our negotiations have secured.”
The deal comes after a winter of industrial action, which have seen the NHS under yet more pressure through sweeping strikes by nurses, ambulance staff and more. Unite has said it cannot recommend the deal to members, but will but it out to vote. general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Following months and months of unnecessary delay, the Government finally gets into the negotiating room.
“They need to take full responsibility for their dither and delay, which has caused unnecessary pain to both staff and patients in the NHS. It is clear that the Government has been forced into negotiations and the subsequent move because of strike action and the support of the public for the NHS."
Steve Brine, who chairs the Health and Social Care Committee, said: “The news of a breakthrough pay offer to NHS workers is a good outcome for patients and staff. I hope it will provide a solid basis for pay settlements going forwards. For anyone who has been affected by cancelled appointments and longer waits, this has been a difficult time.
“Tackling the backlog is a priority for the NHS that will take all the efforts and hard work of the staff upon which our services depend.”
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