Call for evidence launched to determine the benefits and
risks of a separate pay structure for nursing staff in the
NHS
It seeks to understand whether the Agenda for Change
contract is creating specific barriers to the career progression
of nurses
It will run for 12 weeks and provide an opportunity for
all stakeholders to share their views and suggestions
The government has published a call for evidence to seek views on
a new pay scale for nurses.
It will collate feedback from across the health sector on the
merits of a separate pay structure for nursing staff in the NHS,
considering both the risk and benefits of this approach.
The government has heard the concerns of nursing staff and their
representatives about the challenges they face in terms of career
progression and professional development.
The call for evidence will seek to understand whether the Agenda
for Change contract – covering more than 1 million NHS workers
such as nurses, midwives, paramedics, as well as other
non-medical, workers - is creating specific barriers to the
career progression of nurses and explore solutions that could be
considered if the evidence shows there are issues with the
current arrangements.
Health Minister said:
“We hugely value the work of nurses, who play a vital role in the
NHS.
“We have listened to union concerns and are launching this call
for evidence to explore the risks and benefits of a separate pay
structure for nurses.
“I want stakeholders to share their expertise and help us collate
feedback from across the healthcare sector, ultimately helping to
make the NHS a better place to work.”
This call for evidence, which runs for 12 weeks, will now provide
an opportunity for all stakeholders to share their views and
suggestions. Any changes will be carefully considered and the
government will publish a response in due course.
Nurses play a vital role in the NHS and that is why the
government agreed a deal for the Agenda for Change
(AfC) workforce through the NHS Staff Council in May
2023. This resulted in a pay rise of 5% for 2023 to 2024
alongside two one off payments worth over £2,000 on average for
full-time nurses, alongside a series of non-pay measures to
support the NHS workforce, including improving opportunities for
nursing career progression.
The government is taking steps to support and grow the workforce
- data published in November showed there were 51,245 additional
nurses in September 2023 compared to 2019. This means the number
of nurses has increased from 300,904 in 2019 to over 352,000 -
hitting the government’s commitment to recruit an additional
50,000 nurses six months early.
It is the largest ever sustained growth in the NHS nursing
workforce, with the expanded workforce delivering hundreds of
thousands of extra appointments, helping to tackle waiting lists
and improve access for patients.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan - backed by over £2.4 billion
over five years – also sets out three priority areas to train,
retain and reform the health workforce. The plan will
significantly expand domestic education, training and recruitment
and will deliver more nurses than ever before. It will almost
double the number of adult nurse training places by 2031, with
around 24,000 more nurse and midwife training places a year by
2031. This will include over 5,000 more mental and learning
disability nurses a year.
