NHS Pay
I pay tribute to the outstanding work of NHS staff in my constituency and across the country. Nurses, paramedics and other Agenda for Change (AfC) staff are the backbone of our health service. We must ensure they are paid fairly and receive the terms and conditions they deserve.
I am pleased Ministers have committed to funding work in 2026/27 to begin to resolve outstanding concerns within the AfC pay structure. I welcome that the Government will work with trade unions and employers through the NHS Staff Council – which has responsibility for the AfC pay system – to deliver these changes from 1 April 2026.
Alongside this, I am delighted that AfC staff will receive an above-inflation pay rise for the second year in a row, with Ministers having committed to a 3.6% increase for 2025/26. This pay rise will be backdated to 1 April and will appear in pay packets from August.
I recognise, however, that it is unacceptable for pay awards not to be delivered on time. The Government is committed to NHS staff receiving their pay uplifts at the beginning of the financial year. Ministers took steps to speed up this year’s pay review process, meaning that pay awards will be received two months earlier than last year. But there is obviously more to do, and I welcome the ambition to implement pay awards as soon in 2026/27 as possible.
This year’s NHS pay awards sit alongside wider work to improve the support NHS staff receive and their experience at work. This includes recent announcements on tackling violence and aggression towards staff, improving nursing career progression and job evaluation and supporting newly qualified staff.
I welcome the publication of the Government’s ten-year health plan, to rebuild our NHS and make it fit for the future. The plan sets out an ambition for the NHS to be not only the country’s biggest employer but also its best, with staff better treated, more motivated and provided with improved training and more scope to develop their careers. I am pleased Ministers will also publish a new NHS workforce plan later this year that aligns with the ten-year plan.