Member reflections from the NHS Staff Council

Liz O’Hara is a chief people officer at University College London Hospitals and Whittington Health. She brings a different perspective to the Staff Council, being part of a large acute trust and an integrated care organisation which provides acute and community services. Liz joined the Staff Council executive membership in April 2025 because she wanted to help provide a “voice for employers.” 

Marcus Riddell is a chief people officer at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust. Since joining the Staff Council plenary membership in April 2025, he has “learnt an incredible amount from both management and staff-side colleagues and gained valuable experience in a collaborative space.”  

NHS staff council function and responsibility 

With representatives across England and the devolved administrations, on both employer and staff-side (trade unions), members of the NHS Staff Council are responsible for maintaining the Agenda for Change (AfC) pay system.  

Liz explains that “being part of the apparatus that impacts thousands of people within the NHS is a huge responsibility. The Staff Council is a collaborative space where we seek improvements across a wide range of complex issues.” 

The NHS Staff Council's remit includes:  

• negotiating any proposed changes to the core conditions of service for all staff under the AfC system, which once agreed are then reflected in the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook.
• providing support on interpreting the national agreement for employers and trade unions through the development of guidance and resources. 

Members of the Staff Council are also relied upon to ensure that different perspectives are brought to discussions. The workplan set out by the Staff Council executive; ensures that members of the wider council have opportunities to partake in task and finish groups (TFGs) and support negotiations.

“On a basic level it shows that no matter how challenging our work is, employers can work together with trade union colleagues in partnership to seek satisfactory outcomes” 

Impact on the NHS workforce 

The NHS Staff Council works together in partnership to address newly arising issues, identify solutions, and ensure that all viewpoints are represented.  

Following changes in legislation, they will often develop new or updated guidance to ensure that employers possess the tools and knowledge to apply these changes correctly and fairly across the workforce.  
 

 Some of the key pieces of work from 2025 include: 

• Agenda for Change pay deal 2023 - latest non-pay commitments update.
• Completed nursing and midwifery profile review. 

The fair and equitable treatment of all NHS staff has a direct impact on the work they carry out, and the care they provide for patients. Therefore, it is vital for the Staff Council to provide a set of terms and conditions that are fair and consistent to achieve this.   

“Consistency underpins fairness and reduces inequities.” 

Making connections 

Marcus has shared insight that being part of the Staff Council involves “meeting people from across the country and across a range of national trade unions to ultimately find new ways to make things better.”  

The executive meets at least four times per year, and the full plenary membership meets two times per year to discuss key items in partnership. The membership of the NHS Staff Council ensures that there is representation from NHS trusts across England from a range of sectors, including acute, community, mental health, ambulance and teaching hospitals. 

The employer-side members of the Staff Council regularly network with representatives from NHS Employers, national trade union officials, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England to overcome challenges and develop working relationships with key stakeholders. 

“It has been a great opportunity to meet different colleagues from across the United Kingdom.”