Pay review: government yet to trigger 2024-25 process
Posted 14 December 2023 - 12:29
Any pay deal decided will not be ready by next April, with health and social care secretary blaming the pandemic for delays
The process of determining next year’s pay for nurses and other NHS staff has still not begun, making it unlikely a pay rise will be decided before April 2024.
Health and social care secretary Victoria Atkins said she would do everything she could to deal with the NHS Pay Review Body (RB) process ‘promptly’.
Health and social care secretary says pandemic has caused delays to pay awards process
Speaking at the Commons health and social care select committee on 13 December, Ms Atkins said the pandemic had caused government departments to fall behind in determining pay awards in time for new financial years.
‘We have been trying to bring that back into sync because I very much understand how frustrating a delay is, particularly for the lowest paid,’ she said. ‘Although they will be reimbursed when a final decision is made… I do get the point about cashflow.
‘We are also listening to representatives of our workforce who voiced concerns about the way in which the bodies are structured. To my mind, pay review bodies are essential, they are constructed of people who are experts in their own field. I’m keen we ensure the full potential of that system is understood and appreciated by the workforce and unions that are contributing.’
Pay review process for 2024-25 has not yet been triggered
The RB advises on pay for staff on Agenda for Change contracts. It cannot begin the process of determining pay until it receives a remit letter from the government formally requesting recommendations on pay and outlining considerations such as affordability and the wider labour market.
The Department of Health and Social Care has not yet sent the remit letter for the 2024-25 pay year. This means any deal would not be ready to be implemented at the start of the 2024-25 financial year in April.
Committee chair Conservative MP Steve Brine said the department had got into a cycle of announcing pay awards and backdating them to the start of the financial year, which was flagged as an issue by nurses and other NHS staff groups who undertook strike action.
Unions will provide feedback on Pay Review Body
Health unions have been asked to give feedback on the RB as part of the non-pay elements of the 2023-24 pay deal agreed by the NHS Staff Council.
Among these elements was a review of the RB process, which unions have called unfit for purpose. NHS leaders and unions have been asked to share their views on how the RB can operate more effectively, including timings of pay rounds and the appointment process for members.
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