The 2024-25 pay award for NHS staff across the UK has still not been fully resolved and some nurses are yet to receive their promised pay rise. After RCN members in England and Wales voted to reject the award, three unions have joined forces to opt out of the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) process for 2025-26 and instead ask for direct negotiations with the government. Meanwhile, the government has announced it has set aside 2.8% for NHS pay rises in 2025-26. With confidence in the RB at a low, we consider what next year will bring and how nurses can get a fairer deal.