- Tens of thousands of staff at non-NHS organisations including
community nurses, physiotherapists and cleaners will soon receive
two one-off payments
- Government recognises vital role of health workers at social
enterprises, charities, private providers and local authorities
to support patients and the NHS
- Wider pay deal covering majority of NHS workers is already
benefitting over one million staff including nurses, paramedics
and 999 call handlers
The government will provide funding for over 27,000 more
healthcare workers in England to receive two one-off payments -
worth at least £1,655 and up to £3,000 - in a major boost for the
workforce.
Community nurses, sexual health workers, speech-and-language
therapists, physiotherapists, and other crucial frontline workers
are all set to benefit. Organisations will receive funding for
these payments over the coming months.
Forming part of the wider NHS pay deal, one of the payments was
specifically intended to recognise the sustained pressure facing
the health service and the extraordinary effort staff have made
to meet the Prime Minister’s promise to cut waiting lists.
Significant progress has been made recently, with overall NHS
waiting lists decreasing for four months in a row by a total of
192,000 – despite winter pressures and industrial action.
Retaining talented staff is central to the NHS Long Term
Workforce Plan, and the government recognises the vital role
played by staff in non-NHS organisations to support patients and
the wider health service.
Health and Social Care Secretary said:
I hugely value the hard work of all our healthcare staff, and
those working in non-NHS organisations offer vital support to
patients.
I want to ensure that eligible staff receive these payments,
which is why we chose to deliver this funding and why we have
taken the decision to relax the financial eligibility criteria
employers must meet.
It will ensure that hardworking staff and the organisations they
work for can fully benefit from the NHS pay deal.
Last year, more than one million NHS staff on the Agenda for
Change contract - which includes nurses, paramedics, 999 call
handlers, midwives, security guards and cleaners - received two
one-off payments alongside a 5% pay rise.
These payments originally only applied to those directly employed
by NHS organisations. In November, the government launched a
scheme to provide non-NHS organisations with funding to cover the
cost of the one-off payments for their eligible staff on this
occasion. The scheme is now complete and all organisations have
been informed of their outcome.
The payments will be provided to organisations which deliver NHS
and Public Health Grant services who employ their staff on
dynamically linked Agenda for Change contracts.
Employers were originally required to prove they had been
negatively financially impacted by the pay deal, and that their
staff were employed on dynamic Agenda for Change contracts.
However, the department has relaxed the original financial
hardship criteria to make these payments possible. Following
confirmation of their success, eligible organisations will be
contacted by NHS England or the Department of Health and Social
Care and provided with the funding as quickly as possible.
Background:
- The NHS pay deal, agreed by NHS Staff Council in May,
included two non-consolidated pay awards for 2022 to 2023.
- These non-consolidated payments covered staff directly
employed by NHS organisations (for example, permanent and
fixed-term contracts) as set out in Annex 1
of the handbook on Agenda for Change terms on 31 March
2023.
- However, some staff in non-Annex 1 organisations are
contractually entitled to the payments, and therefore their
employers were responsible for making these payments.
- The Department has now agreed additional funding for over
27,000 members of staff to receive these payments.
