DoH publishes fact sheet on NHS industrial action

The Royal College of Nursing has announced the result of their ballot.

This fact sheet sets out the Department of Health and Social Care’s position on industrial action, as well as information on the pay offer made to NHS workers for 2022/23 and how the government is working with the NHS to prepare for potential disruption. Full details of the pay award are published here.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay 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.”

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.