News

Thousands of nurses could miss out on NHS pay award

Many nurses who work in outsourced NHS services, including district and community nursing, social care and charities, may find their employers cannot afford the pay rise
Photo of nurses striking outside Leeds General Infirmary; many staff in England in outsourced NHS services may miss out on pay rise

Many nurses who work in outsourced NHS services, including district and community nursing, social care and charities, may find their employers cannot afford the pay rise

Photo of nurses striking outside Leeds General Infirmary; many staff in England in outsourced NHS services may miss out on pay rise
Nurses striking outside Leeds General Infirmary earlier this month. Picture: John Houlihan

Thousands of nurses who work under Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts could miss out on the NHS pay award, prompting health leaders to call for immediate action to avoid a ‘two-tier’ system.

NHS Confederation and other healthcare leaders have written to the government calling for an urgent meeting to discuss how the 5% pay deal accepted by the NHS Staff Council on 2 May will be funded for district and community nurses, along with thousands of other staff who work in primary care, social care, social enterprises and charities providing NHS services.

Warning of an ‘unequitable, two-tier system’

The letter to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) warned that some providers of non-statutory NHS services that use the AfC pay structure will not be able to afford the pay uplift and have been put in an ‘impossible position’. It warned they will likely have to choose between funding the pay rise and cutting services, or forgoing the pay rise and risk losing staff.

‘The NHS is more than just hospitals, consisting of a range of vital services patients rely on, including mental healthcare, primary care, district nurses and therapists, all of which are contracted indirectly,’ said NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor.

‘The current arrangement for central funding might see staff at these services miss out and risks the creation of an unequitable, two-tier system for different staff.

‘Providers are facing the unenviable choice between finding additional savings – likely through cuts to services – to fund the rise, or not implementing the raise and risking staff leaving, which will leave patients worse off.’

Thousands of nurses in England work in outsourced NHS services including in prisons, end of life care, inpatient mental health services, community and acute care, and sexual health services.

While they may not receive the pay rise, from today their NHS colleagues on AfC contracts, including nurses working in hospital settings, will start to receive their 5% pay rise for 2023-24 plus a one-off payment for 2022-23.

Nurses striking at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. Picture: Neil Hope/Apex

Employers’ inability to fund pay rise may ‘put services and patients at risk’

Social Enterprise UK chief executive Peter Holbrook said clarity from the government was essential.

He added: ‘Just the ten largest social enterprises delivering NHS services employ around 10,000 staff, who will be treated unfairly unless the government acts now.

‘Some of these employers will seek to pay the 2022-23 “bonus” their staff deserve, even if the government doesn’t fund it – but some simply don’t have the money to do so, meaning this will put services and patients at risk.’

A spokesperson for NHS community healthcare provider CSH Surrey, which employs around 1,200 staff, told Nursing Standard it offers AfC contracts to staff to ensure ‘mobility and portability through the NHS for staff’.

But they added: ‘Like many other social enterprises affected by this, CSH Surrey is currently not in a position to fund the 2022-23 one-off non-consolidated payment.

‘We fully support the letter from NHS Confederation, Social Enterprise UK and other partners and we have written letters to all Surrey MPs on this issue.’

Lack of clarity on whether pay rise will be funded by government

The DHSC told the Health Service Journal that only staff directly employed by the NHS will get the 2022-23 non-consolidated payment and ‘Covid backlog’ payment worth around £2,000. It remains unclear whether the 2023-24 pay rise of 5% will be centrally funded for staff, including nurses, on AfC terms and conditions who are employed on local authority contracts.

The DHSC has been contacted for comment.


In other news

Jobs