FCS Briefing: NHS Pay 2017-2018 1% across the board. NHS ...

1 FCS Briefing: nhs pay 2017-2018 1% across the board. NHS unions regard as a derisory award . On 28th March the nhs pay review body issued its recommendations for the increases to NHS Agenda for Change pay scales effective from 1st April 2017. This follows announcements earlier of 1% increases for NHS staff in Wales and Scotland. The PRB s report is accompanied by a very brief written statement from the Secretary of State: The Government is pleased to accept its recommendations for a 1 per cent increase to all Agenda for Change pay points from 1 April 2017 and the High Cost Area Supplement minimum and maximum payments.

2 This will be in addition to incremental pay for those that are eligible. The recommendation that Health Departments should ensure that annual pay awards do not have unintended consequences in reducing the take-home pay of staff whose pay award causes them to cross pension contribution thresholds, will be considered as part of the four yearly valuation of the NHS Pension Scheme, a process which will determine the appropriate level of employer and employee pension contributions from April 2019. The Government will consider all the observations and report progress to the nhs pay review body in due course.

3 The full report and an executive summary can be found at: Whilst, disappointingly, this outcome imply reflect governments intransigent policy on public sector pay the PRB do make some warning comments about the risks of this policy in the medium term. In the Executive Summary they say: 26. The evidence we have received gives us cause for concern about the sustainability of public sector pay policy over the next few years. Inflation is already higher than previously expected. There are also pressures stemming from changes in the UK s relationship with the EU and from changes in the student funding system in England, which heighten the need for the nhs pay and employment offer to be attractive.

4 We agree with NHS England that nhs pay will need to keep pace with private sector pay over the medium-term to recruit and retain staff. 27. We are concerned that, in too many places, the default strategy to deal with significant increases in patient demand within a slowly increasing budget is by expecting NHS staff to work more intensively, in more stressful working environments, for pay that continues to decrease in real terms. We do not consider this a sustainable position. In a press release on behalf of all NHS unions the staff-side Chair commented: Latest nhs pay award is 'derisory', say health unions Commenting on the announcement today (Tuesday) from the nhs pay review body (PRB) of its proposals for 2017/18, Christina McAnea, the spokesperson for unions representing staff working in the NHS and head of health at UNISON, said: This deal amounts to less than five pounds a week for most midwives, nurses, cleaners, paramedics, radiographers and other healthcare staff.

5 "It's a derisory amount in the face of soaring fuel bills, rising food prices and increasing transport costs. "The government's insistence on the one per cent cap has tied the PRB's hands. It can no longer prevent health employees' pay falling way behind wages in almost every part of the economy. "Without the cash to hold onto experienced employees, the NHS staffing crisis will worsen as people leave for less stressful, better rewarded jobs elsewhere. This can only be bad news for patients. "Today s unfair settlement is yet more evidence of the government s failure to invest in the NHS.

6 Ministers must stop relying on goodwill, rethink this short-sighted pay policy and reward staff properly. Notes to editors: - The nhs pay review body (PRB) assesses health staff pay on an annual basis before making a recommendation to the government. - This is the sixth year running that the PRB settlement has failed to match an increase in the cost of living for staff. Inflation is currently (Retail Prices Index), the highest rate since September 2013. - More than has been cut from NHS staff salaries between 2010 and 2016 as a result of the government s pay cap. This is the equivalent of an annual pay reduction of 2,288 for a hospital cleaner, 4,846 for a nurse and 8,364 for a clinical psychologist, according to UNISON calculations.

7 - Figures from the Public Accounts Committee show that the proportion of nurses leaving their job increased from (2010/11) to (2014/15). The leaving rate for NHS staff in general was 16% last year, which represents a 4% increase between 2011 and 2016. - In line with previously published pay policy, those in Scotland earning below 22,000 will receive a minimum increase of 400 in addition to the one per cent award. Staff in Wales will receive the Living Wage Foundation living wage as a minimum. There is no response to the pay recommendation yet in Northern Ireland as power-sharing talks continue.

8 - The unions that submitted joint evidence to the NHS PRB were: the British Association of Occupational Therapists, the British Dietetic Association, the British and Irish Orthoptic Society, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, the Federation of Clinical Scientists, the GMB, the Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, the Society of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite. Due to the timing of this announcement, most trusts will not be able to pay the award, backdated, until the end of May. Geoff Lester FCS Representative to NHS Staff Council