COVID bonus payment extended to social enterprises and others
Posted 06 November 2023 - 12:41
Nurses delivering NHS services at councils and charities in England will also receive the one-off payment, which recognises the hard work of staff during the pandemic
Nurses delivering NHS services who work for social enterprises, councils and charities in England will finally get the ‘COVID backlog bonus’, after the government announced it will fund the one-off payment.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DH) said eligible organisations can apply for funding to help deliver the one-off payment to staff, worth between £1,655 and £3,789 for full-time staff depending on pay band, which was agreed as part of the NHS pay award earlier this year.
Government explains reason behind payment decision
The news comes after Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) launched a legal challenge around the exclusion of staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts who provide NHS services but are not directly employed by NHS trusts.
The DH said it has ‘listened to concerns’ about providing the payment in the ‘current economic circumstances’ and has decided to make funding available to help deliver it.
Call for general practice staff to receive the payment
Unions welcomed the move but said the payment must now be expanded to cover funding for a pay rise in general practice.
RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said: ‘This significant progress is not before time. In the four months after the one-off payment was given to the majority, we have campaigned alongside the nursing staff who were left without.
‘Pay uplifts and any one-offs should, as a rule, go to all who deliver NHS care and not leave some people behind through contractual technicalities. The department must provide clarity on who will receive the funding.
‘We renew our call today for nursing staff working in general practice to also be given their full pay uplift with the money similarly made directly available by central government.’
Background to the COVID backlog bonus
Back in March the government published its ‘pay offer in principle’, which stated that ‘all staff’ on AfC contracts would receive the bonus, but the government later qualified this as only covering those working on AfC contracts who are directly employed by NHS trusts.
Ministers claim the criteria were agreed during negotiations, but both the RCN and Unison dispute this.
Government says bonus rewards ‘efforts during the pandemic’
Speaking about the latest one-off payment, health minister Will Quince said the decision ‘will ensure hardworking healthcare staff and the organisations they work for are not financially disadvantaged as a result of the NHS pay deal and means they will receive their backlog bonus for their efforts during the pandemic’.
SEUK said its legal position remains the same, with a judicial review still active, as lawyers from both sides have not yet had a chance to discuss the latest announcement.
Payment acknowledges ‘critical role of social enterprises in the NHS family’
SEUK chief executive Peter Holbrook said: ‘We’re pleased to see the government acknowledge the critical role of social enterprises in the NHS family, with tens of thousands of staff delivering vital care across the country and services reinvesting profits to help local communities.
‘We have campaigned tirelessly for our members to get the recognition and reward they deserve, and will continue to hold the department accountable for delivering on the minister’s promise that crucial healthcare staff won’t be financially disadvantaged by working in social enterprises.’
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