Frequently asked questions: England NHS pay award results 2024/25

Two months ago, RCN members in England voted decisively to reject the NHS 2024-25 pay award as unacceptable.

The next pay award must be negotiated between ministers, employers and health unions – the government should stand down the NHS Pay Review Body, and to reinforce our position we are withdrawing our participation. We participated in the PRB in good faith last year and the award was one that members decided was not fair.

This decision has been taken by fellow RCN members you’ve elected to the Trade Union Committee and with the support of Council.

Previous awards demonstrate the PRB is not currently functioning in a way that our members can have confidence in. Furthermore, the current remit from the UK Government clearly reinforces the PRB must have regard to the NHS budget when making its recommendations. This is not genuine independence.

The status quo is not working for the NHS. It is not working for nursing. It’s time for change. 

Ahead of next year’s pay award, we need to get around the table and have meaningful discussions. The government needs to take our value seriously and understand that Agenda for Change without significant reform will no longer be fit for purpose.

Direct negotiations can start to restore value to nursing pay and reform the 20-year-old structure.

This decision has been taken by fellow RCN members you’ve elected to the Trade Union Committee and with the support of Council.

It reflects the recent rejection by RCN members of the Government’s pay award, the lack of progress by government and employers on ‘non-pay issues’ and the restrictions already placed on the upcoming Pay Review Body in the remit letter. 

Year on year under the previous government offers and awards failed to restore nursing pay. Our profession needs investment, now. That’s why we want fresh negotiations.

The current government has demonstrated it wants to see change in the NHS and moved quickly to launch a significant reform agenda. Alongside that work, it must look closely at what the NHS workforce needs to deliver that change. We are calling for negotiations that seek to address decades of pay degradation and ensure the NHS can keep our country healthy.

In the 20 years since the Agenda for Change pay structure was introduced, nursing has transformed.

Without significant reform of Agenda for Change reflecting that, the RCN believes a separate pay and career structure for nursing and nursing support workers should be put in place and workers could be paid starting salaries in the region of £27,500, and registered nurses in the region £35,000, with progress towards £50,000. A path towards more advanced career levels should be clearly and credibly marked out.

The RCN continues to campaign for change on all aspects of NHS pay, terms and conditions, including individual and group job evaluation cases, and the national nursing and midwifery profile review. 

The government must now demonstrate its commitment to nursing and show that its NHS reform plans will transform nursing and rebuild the profession as a central part of improving patient care.

That commitment can start with direct negotiations

All staff working for the NHS in England on Agenda for Change contracts should expect to see the 5.5% pay increase implemented in their October pay. The pay award will be backdated to 1 April 2024.

The RCN has reported to the UK government that members in the NHS in England have rejected the 2024/25 pay award. The government must now demonstrate its commitment to nursing and show that its NHS reform plans will transform nursing as a central part of improving patient care.

This was not a ballot on action, it was a consultation regarding a pay award. By law, a statutory ballot by post would be required to authorise industrial action. RCN members took action over six months from December 2022 and this vote has seen even greater levels of engagement. It is up to the government to demonstrate that another RCN ballot on strike action is not needed for nursing staff to see the change they expect and deserve.  

This consultation was not a ballot on strike action, it was a consultation regarding a pay award. By law, a new statutory ballot by post would be required to authorise industrial action. It is up to the government to demonstrate that another RCN ballot on strike action is not needed for you to see the change you expect and deserve.

The result of the consultation shows the strength of feeling amongst our members that fundamental change is required for the nursing profession in the NHS and beyond.

The government must now demonstrate its commitment to nursing and show that its NHS reform plans will transform nursing as a central part of improving patient care. 

Nursing staff need to see pay justice and the profession respected for the essential and safety-critical role they play in the NHS and all health and care settings.

Nursing staff do not feel valued and are looking for urgent action. Their concerns relate to understaffed shifts, poor patient care and nursing careers trapped at the lowest pay grades in an outdated structure that can no longer expertly evaluate modern nursing. RCN members need to see that the government’s reform agenda will transform their profession as a central part of improving care for the public. 

A 5.5% consolidated pay award for all directly employed NHS staff employed on Agenda for Change terms and conditions was announced by the Westminster government on 29 July 2024, it will be backdated to 1 April 2024. The 5.5% pay increase should have been reflected in your October pay, with back pay to be paid in the November pay round.

The increase to salaries and intermediate pay point for bands 8 and above is expected to be implemented with retrospective pay in November salaries. You can find more detail and some scenarios of how the intermediate pay point will be implemented from NHS Employers.

If you have not received the award, there is an error in how your pay increase has been implemented or you’ve been assigned an emergency tax code please contact employer’s payroll or People/Human Resources Department. 

The Westminster government accepted the recommendation of the NHS PRB, to add an intermediate pay point at each of bands 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d and 9 to which staff should progress after two years at the respective band.

This recommendation has also been ratified by the NHS Staff Council, and NHS Employers expects the intermediate pay point increase to salaries and retrospective pay (backdated to 1 April 2024) to be paid in November salaries. You can find further detail on these changes here.

You are the RCN and if you want to be a part of nursing activism and lead on the issues that matter most to you, you can find out more about activism and organising, our forums and networks and how to become an RCN rep.

If you want to know more about our campaigning activity, become a campaign supporter.

We encouraged every eligible RCN member to vote in the consultation. Each eligible member had one vote.

Your vote is secured with your member details, and could only be cast when logged in. If you attempted to vote multiple times, only your last vote was counted. 

On 29 July 2024, the UK government announced the award for NHS pay in England for 2024/25. The award is set out below and by NHS Employers:

• A consolidated 5.5% increase with effect from 1 April 2024 for all Agenda for Change staff in the NHS.
• Intermediate pay points to be added for Bands 8 and above.

For the UK government to issue the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to begin to resolve outstanding concerns within the AfC pay structure and for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Welsh Government to support the issuance of this mandate and to work with the Staff Council, their social partners and with the UK government.

You can expect to see the 5.5% pay increase awarded across all bands reflected in October pay.

NHS Employers expects the intermediate pay point increase to bands above band 8 to come to be reflected in salaries and retrospective pay (backdated to 1 April 2024) to be paid in November salaries

The NHS Pay Review Body recommended:

• A consolidated 5.5% increase with effect from 1 April 2024 for all Agenda for Change staff in the NHS.
• Intermediate pay points to be added for Bands 8 and above.
• For the UK government to issue the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to begin to resolve outstanding concerns within the AfC pay structure and for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Welsh Government to support the issuance of this mandate and to work with the Staff Council, their social partners and with the UK government.

See the full report published by the UK government on 29 July 2024.  

No, the UK government accepted the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendation and announced a 5.5% pay award for NHS staff in England on NHS (Agenda for Change) terms and conditions.

The UK government will provide the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to resolve outstanding concerns within the Agenda for Change pay structure, in line with the NHS PRB’s recommendation. Further details of what this mandate will include and the potential scope of these structural changes has not yet been confirmed.

In the 20 years since the Agenda for Change pay structure was introduced, nursing has transformed. The RCN believes that, in a future separate pay and career structure for nursing, nursing support workers could be paid starting salaries in the region of £27,500, and registered nurses in the region £35,000, with progress towards £50,000. A path towards more advanced career levels should be clearly and credibly marked out.

The RCN will continue to progress other aspects relating to NHS pay, terms and conditions, including individual and group job evaluation cases, and the national nursing and midwifery profile review.

The government must now demonstrate its commitment to nursing and show that its NHS reform plans will transform nursing as a central part of improving patient care.

Tax credits are means tested on the income you receive during a relevant financial year. Customers awardsThe amount of tax credits  are initially based on previous year’s income. They must report their current year income in response to the S17 notice, and their awards are then finalised. 

If your pay is less than £2500 more than the previous Tax Year, your award will remain the same. If the lump sum back payment and on-going pay award means your income is more than £2500 than the previous tax year, then your award will be adjusted. Learn further information about reporting pay increases from the UK Government.  Working out your income for tax credit claims and renewals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

For advice on how the pay award will impact you in future months, you can use one of the online benefits calculators on the following RCN Page or seek advice from the RCN Welfare Service.

If you’d like to seek instalment payments of backdated pay, you can find NHS Employers guidance here.

Universal Credit is means tested on the income you receive during a relevant month. If you receive a backdated lump sum, it will affect your Universal Credit in the month it is paid. For most members this is the best option, as means tested payments will resume the following month. However, if you think that a back dated lump sum will impact you detrimentally, you may be able to request that your payroll pay the back-dated element of your pay over several consecutive months.

For advice on how a lump sum and future pay award will impact you, you can use one of the online benefit calculators on the following RCN Page or seek advice from the RCN Welfare Service.

If you’d like to seek instalment payments of backdated pay, you can find NHS Employers guidance here.  

As a consolidated pay award, this increase will increase your pensionable pay. Your pensionable pay is used to calculate your pension contributions and your eventual pension benefit. This means that this pay award should increase your pension benefit.

The level of pension contribution you pay is aligned to contribution thresholds that increase at the same rate as NHS pay awards. Therefore, you won’t see a direct increase in the pension contributions you make.

When you retire, your pension benefit is calculated on your pensionable pay therefore, increasing your pensionable pay will increase your pension benefit.

Payment of Child Benefit is based on net ‘adjusted income.’ Your adjusted net income is your total taxable income before any personal allowances but will then be reduced by the amounts you pay into certain pension schemes and any Gift Aid payments.

You can also reduce your net adjusted income by applying for Tax relief. For example, you can get tax relief on your RCN (Royal College of Nursing) membership and NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) (Nursing and Midwifery Council) fees. Further information can be found here. 

Your total taxable income includes interest from savings and dividends.

If your new net adjusted income is above £60,000 after the annual pay award, you will have to pay a Child Benefit charge, which will reduce the amount of benefit you receive.

As everyone has a different financial situation, the RCN cannot provide individual advice as to whether your adjusted net income is over £60,000, but you can work this out by using the Child Benefit tax calculator.

If it is over £60,000 the calculator will also tell you how much of a High Income charge you will have to pay. 

If you are employed directly by an NHS organisation in England as set out in Annex 1 of the national NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook, on Agenda for Change terms and conditions, you will receive the award.

If you work for an employer funded and commissioned to provide NHS services and are employed on Agenda for Change-aligned or dynamic terms and conditions following a transfer of your employment in England, you should also receive this award. The RCN has appealed to the government to make sure funding is made available, to provide you with this award.

If you are employed by a provider organisation delivering NHS services and your terms and conditions are aligned to Agenda for Change or are dynamic Agenda for Change terms and conditions following a transfer of your employment, you should also receive this award.

NHS and non-NHS provider organisations will be funded for the impact of the NHS Pay Review Body pay awards through their contract arrangements with NHS commissioners, where applicable for contracts operating under the NHS Payment Scheme.

NHS England will be publishing guidance in due course advising how contracts between NHS commissioners (NHS England and Integrated Care Boards) and provider organisations should be updated to fund providers for the cost impact of the PRB pay awards for their staff. The allocations issued to NHS commissioners will also be adjusted to ensure systems are funded accordingly for the cost impact of the pay awards. 

This award applies to staff employed on NHS (Agenda for Change) terms and conditions by NHS organisations in England as identified in Annex 1 of the national NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook.

Please check your contract for these details and whether it includes reference to the annual NHS pay award.

The details of how this award will be implemented have not been released. Full details of this award will be published soon by NHS Employers. Get more information. 

Yes, all NHS staff in England who are employed on NHS (Agenda for Change) terms and conditions will receive the pay award. This means that if you are on full pay or half pay during your maternity leave, the amount you receive will increase proportionally in line with the pay award. However, this has no effect on the Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). If you are in a period of maternity leave in which you are only eligible to receive SMP, these payments will not increase.

Your pay is determined by your employer and not by the UK government.  The recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body relate to staff employed by NHS organisations as identified in Annex 1 of the NHS Terms and Conditions Handbook.  However, as the NHS is the largest health care employer in the UK, many independent health and social care employers use NHS pay as a benchmark in setting pay. Increases in NHS pay often lead to increases in pay in other parts of the health and care sector.

The UK government must invest in nursing, not just within the NHS, but all services and settings where nursing care is delivered. The RCN has always called for pay parity between the NHS and every other health and social care setting. We continue to support members employed in independent health and social care settings to seek appropriate recognition in their pay and working conditions in respect of the complex, expert care they deliver.

To ensure you receive information and updates that matter to you, it’s important we know where you work. Visit MyRCN to make sure your details are correct.  

We believe that general practice nursing staff should have, as a minimum, equal terms and conditions to colleagues employed in the NHS.  We are working with you to call for the pay increases and transparency you need from your employer.

A small number of general practice staff are directly employed in the NHS on NHS (Agenda for Change) terms and conditions. If that includes you, then you should automatically receive the NHS pay award and are eligible to vote in this consultation.

The majority of nursing staff working in general practice are employed by their practice and therefore their pay is within the remit of the GP contract.

General practice funding is determined via the GP contract. The Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB) recommended a 6% increase to salary scales, pay ranges and the pay elements of contracts from 1 April 2024.

NHS and non-NHS provider organisations will be funded for the impact of the NHS Pay Review Body and Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body pay awards through their contract arrangements with NHS commissioners, where applicable for contracts operating under the NHS Payment Scheme. NHS England will be publishing guidance in due course advising how contracts between NHS commissioners (NHS England and Integrated Care Boards) and provider organisations should be updated to fund providers for the cost impact of the PRB and DDRB pay awards for their staff.

Get involved and find out more about our work to secure the pay, terms and conditions you deserve.  

This depends on how and when you were transferred:

• 'Static' transferees will not receive the pay award because the terms of your transfer effectively freeze your contract, including pay and conditions, at the point of your transfer. This means that you do not automatically benefit from subsequent pay awards.
• 'Dynamic' transferees should receive the pay award because your terms and conditions should continue to mirror those in the NHS.

If you are unsure of your transfer status you can check your contract of employment or speak to your employer or call RCN Direct.