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Press release: NHS Employers announces new pay offer for NHS staff

02 Aug 2007

Following intense discussions in recent weeks, NHS Employers, which represents trusts on workforce issues, today announced that an additional offer has been made to the NHS trade unions on this year's pay award.

The revised offer is the result of weeks of discussion between NHS Employers, the NHS trade unions and the UK health departments. The offer, which will affect around 1 million non-medical staff on Agenda for Change pay bands, has been made formally today in a letter to trade union side of the NHS Staff Council Executive.

The offer for NHS staff in England includes an improved pay award for lower paid staff, additional funding for staff training and a contribution towards professional regulation fees for clinical staff.  It also includes a commitment to discuss a three-year pay deal.

Alastair Henderson, deputy director of NHS Employers said: 'We sought a deal to address concerns raised by various staff groups, that provides benefits across the workforce while remaining within the limits of the government's public sector pay policy. We believe we have struck this balance and hope that the offer will now be accepted by union members.'

The original offer for this group of staff was a 2.5% staged pay increase with 1.5 per cent payable from April 2007 and the balance from 1 November 2007. 

Unions will now consult their members on the offer and, if accepted, a pay circular will be issued to trusts allowing them to pay the 2007/8 increase backdated to April 1 2007.

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Notes for editors

The pay offer for staff in England is as follows:

* The lowest paid staff on Agenda for Change band 1 and up to point 7 in band 2 (for example porters and cleaners on salaries from £11,782 to £14,037) will receive £400 with 1.5% payable from 1 April 2007 and the remainder from 1 November 2007
* Staff on Agenda for Change bands 2 (point 8) to the top of band 4 (for example healthcare and nursing assistants on salaries from £14,543 to £19,730) will receive 2.5% plus £38 with 1.5% payable from 1 April 2007 and the remainder from 1 November 2007
* Staff on Agenda for Change bands 5 (on point 19) and above (for example qualified nurses and allied healthcare professionals on salaries from £20,294 to £88,397) will receive 2.5% with1.5% payable from 1 April 2007 and with the balance from 1 November 2007
* Trusts will be given a sum equivalent to £25 per non-clinical member of staff for training initiatives for those staff to be agreed locally
* Clinical staff in Agenda for Change bands 5 - 8 (A) who need to be registered with a professional regulatory body in order to practice will receive a payment of £38 a year towards these fees. This will be reviewed in 2010.
* An agreement to enter discussion on a multi-year pay deal. The agreement does not pre-commit any party to agree a multi-year pay deal or to pre-agree any specific element.

* Health Departments in the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already agreed to pay an un-staged 2.5% pay award for 2007/2008.  In addition to this, they will be recommending discussions on the possibility of multi-year talks on pay and conditions, together with the following measures to support lower paid staff, to their ministers:
* The difference between 2.5% and £400 for staff on pay points 1-7 from 1 November 
* An additional £38 for staff on pay points 8-18 from 1 November 

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.

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