Correspondence

Letter from the Health and Social Care Secretary to Agenda for Change staff

Published 13 June 2023

This was published under the 2022 to 2024 Sunak Conservative government

Applies to England

Dear Agenda for Change staff,

I am writing to you today to update you on the progress we have made in implementing the deal the government agreed with the NHS Staff Council for eligible employees on the Agenda for Change contract.

Eligible workers – including nurses, healthcare assistants, paramedics, 999 call handlers, midwives, security guards and cleaners – will be receiving pay rises of at least 5% from this month, worth at least £1,065 for someone working full time. This pay increase follows constructive negotiations with the unions representing staff on the Agenda for Change contract and was accepted by the NHS Staff Council, the body representing both employers and trade unions on the Agenda for Change pay system.

Given the rise in prices last year, the government also wanted to go further and so more than one million eligible Agenda for Change staff will also receive 2 one-off payments for 2022 to 2023. This includes a non-consolidated payment worth 2% of your 2022 to 2023 basic pay and a one-off ‘backlog bonus’ worth between £1,250 and £1,600 for a full-time employee, depending on their band.

The total value of these 2 non-consolidated payments is worth between 3.5% and 8.2% of 2022 to 2023 basic pay and is equivalent to an average 6% non-consolidated payment for all staff. For example, a newly qualified nurse in Band 5 will receive over £1,890 in one-off payments. Details of what the pay deal means for you can be found on the NHS Employers website.

As well as increasing pay, the government is determined to protect your wellbeing and support your development. You provide high-quality, compassionate and safe care to patients around the clock, and we are committed to supporting you while investing in the NHS workforce as a whole.

That is why we are pushing ahead with the commitments made as part of that deal, including:

• we will work jointly with the NHS Staff Council to look for ways to improve nursing career progression
• ensuring that the pay-setting process and the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB) operate effectively
• a review of safe staffing guidance in order to develop a national evidence-based policy framework
• improving support for newly qualified healthcare registrants
• exploring the factors driving increasing rates of agency spend in the NHS
• agreeing amendments to terms and conditions to ensure that you will not suffer a detriment to your basic pay when you undertake apprenticeships as part of agreed career development
• considering how the job evaluation system can be consistently applied
• working with the Social Partnership Forum to identify ways to tackle and reduce violence against NHS staff
• consulting on the permanent easement of NHS abatement rules for special class members
• considering the application of a cap to redundancy payments of £100,000 and over

Today I have invited those organisations who currently participate in the current pay-setting process to share their views on the NHSPRB process, delivering on a key commitment agreed as part of the deal.

We will work collaboratively with the NHS Staff Council, NHS England and NHS Employers to make progress on the remaining commitments and deliver the changes you want to see. I encourage you to liaise with your respective trade union and/or your employer to make sure your opinions and views are fed into the discussions that will take place over the coming year.

I hugely value the work of all NHS staff and the vital part that every single one of you plays. Thank you once again for all that you do.

Yours sincerely,

The Rt Hon Steve Barclay MP Secretary of State for Health and Social Care