Health and Social Care Secretary said:
“We are all hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of
NHS staff, including nurses, and deeply regret that some union
members have voted for industrial action.
“These are challenging times, which is why we accepted the
recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full
and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at
least £1,400 this year. This is on top of a 3% pay increase last
year when public sector pay was frozen and wider government
support with the cost of living.
“Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes. The
NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption
and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”
Media fact sheet - Background
Q&A
Q: What is the Royal College of Nursing asking
for?
- The Royal College of Nursing is asking for a 17.6% pay rise -
costing around £9 billion extra in total for all staff on the
Agenda for Change contract. Almost all nurses work under the
Agenda for Change system which governs pay across the non-medical
NHS workforce (including paramedics, physiotherapists, porters,
cleaners etc) and means the pay award applies across these staff
groups.
- This is 6% of the total NHS budget (£152.6 billion for
2022/23).
- By way of comparison, average pay settlements in the private
sector have been in the range of 4-6%. The RCN has called for
around three times this.
Q: What is the government offering?
- By accepting the independent pay review body recommendations
we have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least
£1,400 this year, the equivalent of around 4-5% pay rises for
most nurses.
- This is on top of 3% last year when public sector pay was
frozen, and wider government support to help with the cost of
living.
Q: How much are nurses getting paid?
- Most nurses have received around a 4-5% pay rise, dependent
on where they are in their band, for example:
-
- Full-time basic pay for newly qualified nurses starting
at the bottom of Band 5 will increase by £1,400, equivalent
to nearly 5.5%, to £27,055 from £25,655 last year. This means
they will typically earn over £31,000 a year including
overtime and unsocial hours payments.
- Full-time basic pay for nurses with a few years of
experience at the top of Band 5 will increase by £1,400,
equivalent to 4.4%, to £32,934 from £31,534 last year.
- Full-time basic pay for nurses and midwives at the bottom
of Band 6 will increase by £1,400, equivalent to 4.3%, to
£33,706 from £32,306 last year.
- With the 4% enhancement, full-time basic pay for
experienced nurses and midwives at the top of Band 6 will
increase by £1,561, to £40,588 from £39,027 last year.
Q: Is this a fair deal?
- We know these are challenging times for everyone, caused by
global economic factors, and we have given a fair pay settlement
that strikes a careful balance between recognising the vital
importance of public sector workers whilst minimising
inflationary pressures and managing the country’s debt.
- The value of the 2022-23 pay settlement was broadly
comparable with the private sector where average pay settlements
have been in the range of 4-6%.
Q: How is pay decided?
- Public sector pay uplifts are determined by the independent
pay review bodies (PRBs) who are made up of industry experts.
- PRBs carefully consider evidence submitted to them from a
range of stakeholders, including government and trade
unions. They base their recommendations on several
factors including the economic context, cost of living,
recruitment and retention, morale, and motivation of NHS staff.
Q: Will patient care be affected?
- Our priority is to keep patients safe. NHS England will work
with providers, professional bodies and trade unions to agree the
safe level of cover.
- Under the strike arrangements, minimum safe staffing levels
must be in place. Hospitals will do everything they can to go
ahead with planned procedures during industrial action,
especially for patients in greatest clinical need. Realistically,
a small proportion of lower priority procedures might be
postponed in order to ensure patient safety.
- NHS England wrote to the healthcare system on 1 November on
the need to be prepared for any potential industrial action to
ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that
emergency services continue to operate as normal. As part of this
the NHS is testing the system to ensure services can continue
safely through Exercise Arctic Willow, a multi-day exercise for
Integrated Care Boards, working with trusts, planned to take
place from week commencing 14 November.
Q: Will the government go back to the negotiation table
with unions?
- The PRB process is the established mechanism for determining
pay uplifts in the public sector, outside of negotiating
multi-year pay and contract reform deals.
- Industrial action is a matter for unions, but we urge them to
carefully consider the potential impacts.
- We are in contact with the unions and are engaging with them
at a ministerial level.
