Our members in England rejected the 5.5% pay award for NHS staff in 2024/25. Our members sent a clear message that annual pay awards are not good enough – they expect more for themselves, their patients, and the NHS.

We've repeatedly called for direct negotiations after members rejected the 5.5% pay award last year – but the UK government are committed to the PRB process. We are now waiting for the NHSPRB to report on pay for the 2025/26 financial year.

To see nursing paid fairly, we need nursing staff to be recognised not only by annual cost of living increases, but with structural change to nursing pay, providing a clear and effective route to fair pay for the safety-critical role nursing plays in every health and social care setting. Nursing staff must be paid fairly for the work they do.

Following a lengthy delay in receiving a pay offer, members in Northern Ireland have accepted the 5.5% Pay Review Body (PRB) pay recommendation for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts for 2024/25.

We’re calling for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to ensure that the unacceptable delay in implementing a pay award for health care staff does not happen again and for negotiations to begin swiftly for 2025-2026.

Our campaign for fair and equitable pay continues, and we are also committed to ensuring that safe staffing legislation, which has been promised since 2020, is implemented.

Our members in Scotland accepted the Scottish government’s 5.5% pay offer for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts for 2024/25. They told us that while it doesn’t make up for years of being undervalued, it is another step on the journey to fair pay.

We’re calling for the Scottish government to start pay negotiations for 2025/26 immediately. The Scottish government is past the point where an offer can be made, consulted on with our members and be in payslips from 1 April 2025. This is unfair on hard working staff who are already under enormous strain due to system pressures, high vacancy rates and increased demand for care in all sectors.

Our members in Wales rejected the 5.5% Pay Review Body (PRB) pay recommendation for NHS Wales staff on Agenda for Change contracts for 2024/25. We wrote to the Cabinet Secretary, who confirmed that the Welsh Government had accepted the NHS PRB recommendations. He reiterated the Welsh Government’s commitment to pay restoration and said discussions would continue within the Wales Partnership Forum, which includes us.

We’re dedicated to advocating for fair pay, pushing for protected continuing professional development time and a 36-hour work week. We’re also committed to holding the Welsh government accountable for eliminating care in inappropriate places (‘corridor care’).