Me and my NHS pay

The three-year NHS pay agreement in England, Scotland and Wales is entering its second year.  Check out this Q&A for what you should know and where to look online for more information

Now we’re in year two of the pay agreement, how will my pay change?

We recommend that you use the pay journey tools for England and Wales (see box below). They show you how your pay will change year on year including annual pay uplifts and individual progression (if you are not at the top of your pay band). You will need to know your spine point on 31 March 2018 if you were employed on or before this point. You will also need to know the month of your pay step date if you are not yet at the top of your band.  In Scotland, it is best to use the Scottish Government pay circular PCS (AFC)2019/1 on the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates website. Annex A has a table setting out the pay rates over the three years from 2018. Please read the guidance on the CSP website for more information. 

I was at the top of my band on 31 March 2019 what about me?

For members employed in England and Wales on the top of their band on 31 March 2019 you will receive a pay uplift as shown in the pay journey tools but will also receive a one-off 1.1 per cent non-consolidated lump sum cash payment. This will be paid in April salaries. Note: For members at the top of bands 8d and 9, their basic pay increase and their one-off non-consolidated lump sum will be capped at the level of the increase for the top of band 8c. In Scotland, members will receive a pay uplift as shown in the Scottish Government pay circular. 

I’m not yet at the top of my band, how does my pay change?

The England and Wales pay journey tools and the Scottish Government pay circular will show that some members will receive an annual pay uplift on 1 April and then receive their transitional pay progression on their pay step date (formerly known as their incremental date). However, 

some members will have their pay point deleted this year as part of the pay restructure. These members will receive both an annual pay uplift and transitional pay progression on 1 April, effectively receiving their pay progression early. 

What if I am promoted during the three year period?

For members promoted during the three years, you should ensure you are offered a starting salary on the new band above your current salary. This may mean you do not start on the bottom point. 

What about pay progression, is that changing? 

In England a new pay progression system is effective from 1 April 2019 for new starters or those promoted to a new role on or after 1 April 2019. Staff in post before 1 April will retain their existing pay step date (previously referred to as incremental date) and move through their pay journey during transition, subject to any existing agreements on pay progression. The same or similar agreements are expected to be reached in Wales (via discussions through the Welsh Partnership  Forum) while in Scotland NHS Scotland employers and health unions are undertaking a review of pay progression with the aim of introducing a new system by April 2020.

What’s happening in Northern Ireland? 

It was announced in November that health and social care staff would receive a pay rise similar to the first year of England’s arrangement and backdated to 1 April 2018. The CSP and other health unions continue efforts to close the pay gap with the rest of the UK and implement the full reform to the pay structure.  

I heard there were also new provisions for enhanced shared parental and child bereavement leave? 

Shared parental leave is currently available in the NHS but unlike maternity and adoption pay, shared parental pay has generally only been paid at statutory levels. In April, shared parental leave was enhanced in England and Wales to the same level as occupational maternity/adoption pay. This was already in place in Scotland, and Northern Ireland is also expected to introduce these changes. This will make sharing parental leave a genuine choice for many staff working in the NHS.  Furthermore, following agreement between employers and the NHS trade unions, all NHS staff in England and Wales who suffer a child bereavement will receive an enhancement on statutory elements of the Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) Act 2018. Unions and employers in Scotland and Northern Ireland are reviewing this agreement with a view to introducing the same or something similar in the near future.