The Department of Health has made a pay offer to staff employed by Health and Social Care employers. It is set out below and in this letter.
- A consolidated uplift in pay of 5%, effective from 1 April 2023.
- In full and final settlement of outstanding pay claims for 2022/23 and 2023/24 a further non-consolidated award of £1,505.
- This non-consolidated award will not count towards pensionable pay, nor any of the other allowances and additions to pay in the NHS terms and conditions of service handbook. The award will be made on a pro-rata basis for those working less than full-time hours, and for those who have joined or left HSC employment during the course of the period 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024. For leavers and joiners, pro-rata in terms of eligible length of service will reference each month in employment, or part thereof. Hours worked on Bank contracts should also be included, up to a maximum payment per individual of £1,505.
This offer is not the same and will not achieve parity with the offer made to staff working in the NHS in England.
The 5% consolidated pay uplift does replicate the England offer. However, the non-consolidated flat rate sum of £1505 is below that of the non-consolidated amount offered to NHS staff in England.
The non-consolidated awards in England comprised of a 2% uniform payment across all bands and a cash lump sum which was graduated across the bands worth between £1,250 and £1,600. Click here for the link to the England pay award.
This offer relates to all staff employed by a Health and Social Care (HSC) employer on Agenda for Change terms and conditions.
The RCN is not making any recommendation on this pay offer.
We believe that all nurses and nursing support workers, wherever they work, deserve to receive fair pay, terms and conditions.
It is for you, RCN members, to have the final say on this offer.
Please consider the detail of the Department of Health pay offer as it affects you individually. You can compare the details of the offer with that of the England pay settlement.
This offer is not the same and will not achieve parity with the offer made to staff working in the NHS in England.
The 5% consolidated pay uplift does replicate the England offer, however the non-consolidated flat rate sum of £1505 is below that of the non-consolidated amount offered to NHS staff in England.
Yes, you will, but the award will be made on a pro-rata basis for those working less than full-time hours.
For those who have joined or left employment during the period the 1 April 2023 - 31 March 2024, the award will be made on a pro-rata basis, in terms of eligible length of service and will reference each month in employment, or part thereof.
We have been campaigning for Fair Pay for Nursing and believe it is our members who should decide on any pay offer. You can cast your vote from the consultation opens at 12 noon on the 4 March 2024 until 6pm on the 21 March 2024, when the consultation closes.
You can cast your vote here, on the RCN website.
For your vote to be eligible, your MyRCN details must show that you are employed by a Health and Social Care employer on Agenda for Change terms and conditions. You can update your details on MyRCN or call RCND on 0345 772 6100 to make sure that your details are correct.
If RCN members vote to accept the offer, we will notify the Department of Health that RCN members accept the pay offer.
If RCN members vote to reject the pay offer, we will seek to return to negotiations.
You are only voting on the pay offer in this ballot. RCN members in Northern Ireland have already provided a mandate for industrial action in the statutory ballot conducted between the 6 October 2022 and the 2 November 2022. If you vote to reject the pay offer, we will try to negotiate an improved offer on your behalf as a first response.
The effect on an individual’s benefit depends on individual circumstances and the type of benefit they receive. Members who are on means-tested benefits, such as universal credit, should consider the implications of the Department of Health pay offer before voting to reject or accept it in the RCN’s consultative ballot.
To find more detail on your benefit situation, go to the Citizens Advice website, Additional benefits information can be found on Citizen's advice benefits guide.
Advice on benefits can also be obtained from Advice NI
Freephone 0800 915 4604, Email: advice@adviceni.net
The offer is a gross figure, and you need to take deductions into account when considering the pay offer. Please note the non-consolidated award will not count towards pensionable pay in this offer. Pay is subject to tax and national insurance contributions. Members should check the current income tax and national insurance rates to assess how the pay offer will affect their take-home pay using the UK government income tax estimator.
Rises in pensionable pay are also subject to increases in pension contributions. Find out more about pension contributions with the workplace pension contribution calculator.
Members of pension schemes pay a proportion of their wages into their pension, as does their employer.
For most members in any pension schemes, receiving a higher wage may to lead to higher pension contributions, but exactly what the impact of this pay offer will be will depend on individual members’ circumstances.
The RCN cannot give members individual advice on the impact of this pay offer on their pension. Members who wish to know more about their pension should consult their pension provider in the first instance and then take financial advice if necessary.
Further details on pension contributions, including the contribution tiers, can be found with HSC's pension contribution guide.
