Health minister announces 3% pay rise for NHS staff in Wales

The Welsh government has agreed to give all NHS staff a 3% pay rise, as she accepts the pay review bodies’ recommendations in full today.

The recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body and the Pay Review Body for Doctors and Dentists apply to staff employed in accordance with Agenda for Change terms and conditions, which include nurses, cleaners, porters and paid health support workers.

It also applies to consultants, trainee doctors, specialist contract doctors and liaison specialists (SAS) before 2021, salaried GPs and dentists.

The pay rise will take effect retrospectively from April 2021.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “Once again, I would like to thank NHS Wales staff for their outstanding efforts during this pandemic. Many staff have worked very long hours under tremendous pressure.

“This pay rise recognizes the dedication and commitment of NHS staff and the huge contribution they have made. It also recognizes how much the Welsh communities value them.

“For lower paid staff, this means we pay more than the Living Wage recommendation of £ 9.50 an hour, demonstrating our commitment to making NHS Wales a Living Wage employer.”

A BMA Cymru Wales spokesperson said: “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic colleagues across the healthcare sector went above and beyond to care for patients, putting themselves and their families’ lives at risk in the process.

“After going through the most challenging times in their careers, we are extremely disappointed at the DDRB’s recommendation of a 3% pay uplift, and that the Minister has chosen not to go above and beyond this.

“Ultimately we will need to consult with our members to gauge their reaction and plan to discuss this with the Minister as soon as possible.

“However, as we begin to tackle the longest waiting lists on record, the Welsh Government and NHS employers must step up their efforts to support NHS staff; working with us to provide properly funded primary care services, improved recruitment and retention, rest facilities and wellbeing services to ensure we can deliver the vital care needed in Wales.

“If we fail to look after this invaluable workforce, we will fail to continue to provide the high standards of care to patients that we all want to deliver.”

The UK Treasury has yet to provide any information on whether any additional funding will be provided to meet the costs of the recommended pay rise on top of the previously announced 1% cap, but the Health Minister said Current budgets are prioritized to enable this deal to be implemented.

The pay rise is on top of the NHS and social care bonus payment announced by the previous Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2021.

The one-off payment of £ 735 recognized the compassionate care provided by the NHS workforce to the people of Wales when we were most vulnerable.

Once NHS Payroll has processed the pay award, it should be in people’s pay packets in autumn.