Nurses pay to rise 29% as Robison vows to match England agreement
NURSES, midwives and hospital porters are in line for pay rises of up to 29 per cent over the next three years as Shona Robison pledged to match the uplifts agreed for NHS England.
The Health Secretary said frontline NHS staff in Scotland would be offered “at least as much” as their counterparts south of the Border.
She added that the pay hikes would also be backdated. It comes after trade unions and NHS employers recommended a £4.2 billion pay offer that will see wage rises of between 6.5 and 29 per cent over the next three years for over a million health staff in England.
The offer applies to all workers on the Agenda for Change contract, which includes all staff barring doctors, dentists and some senior managers. Under the Barnett formula, a corresponding sum would have to be passed to the devolved governments to reflect this increase in public expenditure in England.
Ms Robison said: “Following this announcement we’re now working with NHS Scotland staff representatives and health boards to quickly take forward pay discussions. We have been clear that we will ensure nurses, support staff, and all other staff groups covered by this agreement will be paid at least as much as their counterparts in other parts of the UK.
“The Chancellor has previously committed to providing additional investment to fully fund an English settlement. It is my intention to use any Barnett consequentials that come here as a result of this pay deal to invest in a Scottish pay agreement.”
Under the proposals for NHS England, lowest-paid staff, such as porters and cleaners, will get 15% rises, while nurses are being offered their biggest wage increase in a decade. Basic pay will increase over the three years by 22% for a Band 5 nurse.
Midwives and physiotherapists are among the one per cent of staff in line for the biggest rise of 29%.
Theresa Fyffe, Director RCN Scotland said: “The voice of nursing staff has been heard.”