Media centre

Press release: NHS Employers responds to pay awards announcement for NHS staff

01 Mar 2007

Responding today to the government's announcement of 2007/8 pay awards for NHS staff, Steve Barnett, director of NHS Employers said:

"We see the sense of taking an approach across the public sector and believe this is a pragmatic settlement. In NHS Employers' evidence to the pay review bodies we emphasised that awards should be affordable. The staging of increases will be seen as sensible by many employers facing financial pressures.

"Staff who have had their award staged will, of course, have their pay increased in November to the full amount recommended by the Review Bodies but we recognise that staff may be disappointed with today's announcement. The majority of staff covered by Agenda for Change will also receive a scheduled pay increment of around 3% in addition to the cost of living awards announced today."

John Rostill, Chair of NHS Employers and Chief Executive of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said:

"It is essential for us to ensure that patient services are maintained and any workforce reductions are kept to a minimum. Had the awards for nurses and other professionals not been staged this could have been a challenge for some organisations."
 
On GP pay, Steve Barnett said: 

"NHS Employers was disappointed that we did not manage to reach a decision on an uplift to the GMS contract in negotiations with the General Practitioners Committee last year.  The GMS contract is a contract for patient services, rather than a contract for GP pay and, as such, we believe any future uplifts should be agreed through the negotiating process."

Notes for editors

* NHS Employers will now make an offer of a increase of 1.5% from 1 April with an additional 1% from November for the remaining NHS staff who come under the Agenda for Change system and whose pay is determined separately by the Pay Negotiating Council.
* Once the Pay Negotiating Council negotiations are complete, NHS Employers will prepare pay circulars so that NHS organisations can give staff their increases as soon as possible. Staff will receive back pay to 1 April 2007 if the process is not completed in time for the April pay packets.

Contact details

The press office provides a comprehensive service to keep journalists informed about the work of NHS Employers.

If you have a media enquiry, please contact the press office team:

• Gemma Jeffcoate
  0207 074 3308 or gemma.jeffcoate@nhsemployers.org
• Emma Stafford
  0207 074 3307 or emma.stafford@nhsemployers.org

For out of hours media enquiries, please contact the duty press officer on 07880 500726.

Back to media centre