1% pay rise for all Welsh NHS staff

21 Mar 2016 10:47 AM

NHS Wales employees will receive a 1% pay rise, the Welsh Government announced recently.

Also more than 7,000 of the lowest paid NHS staff will receive a backdated pay rise as the uplift to the living wage applied from 1 January – the living wage has risen to £8.25 from £7.85.

Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has accepted the recommendations on pay from both the NHS Pay Review Body and the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.

The pay rises, including the living wage, will cost an estimated £40m a year.

The deal includes:

• A 1% consolidated pay increase for all Agenda for Change staff in the Welsh NHS;
• A 1% consolidated pay increase for salaried doctors and dentists;
• A 1% increase to the minimum and maximum of the salary range for salaried GPs;
• GPs in Wales will receive an overall uplift of 2.2% in pay and expenses on a similar basis to that in England;
• Dental contracts will increase by 1.1% for pay and practice costs.;
• No pay rise for NHS Senior Executives;

Professor Drakeford said:

“We have accepted in full the recommendations from the independent pay review bodies – this is in line with the offers made elsewhere in the UK.  

“We remain committed to tackling the issue of low pay in Wales and our commitment for the NHS in Wales to be a Living Wage employer means that the lowest earners in NHS Wales are paid a fair salary, as recommended by the Living Wage Foundation.  

“That is why we are boosting the pay of the lowest-paid NHS Wales workers by taking their hourly wage to £8.25.

“Our commitment to the NHS is unwavering and our staff are at the heart of the service. We will continue to work closely with them, with trades unions and professional bodies, to protect and invest in these vital services despite deep cuts to our overall budget from the UK Government.”