Wednesday’s budget delivered grim news of poor economic growth over the next few years, compounded by even grimmer jokes. However amongst the cautiously delivered statement seemed to appear one pearl of policy that should of set every NHS employees heart a flutter. The announcement that funding would be provided to facilitate pay rises for some staff, but this was not the monumental announcement abolishing the pay cap or a U-turn on austerity that some may have hoped for. This announcement came as more of a carrot on a very long string with a few hoops to jump through along the way and it would appear the devil was in the detail. The Chancellor confirmed that this increase in pay would be linked to productivity and pay reform, something that has been mooted before without being fully explained. So the question of whether or not there would be a pay rise has left many nurses, midwives and paramedics scratching their heads.
Union bosses criticised Mr Hammond’s announcement. Unison’s Dave Prentis showed concern that the chancellor was raising the hopes of nurses without putting any extra money on the table, where as the RCN’s Janet Davies warned that any pay rise should not be linked to staff working harder highlighting the fact that nurses have had their pay frozen for the past 7 years and that any increase would only deliver what had been lost. So what could this announcement mean for nurses ?
It is no secret that the NHS faces a funding black hole despite receiving an extra 2.8 billion this budget, with the government hoping the restructuring of services will help plug the gap. Many NHS staff are paid via an agreement called Agenda For Change which allows for universal pay across the NHS as well as providing incremental pay increases linked to progression.
2016 saw Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt embroiled in a row with doctor’s over contracts that many labeled unfair but the government said were necessary to modernise the health service. It is thought that the same will happen again with Mr Hunt setting his eyes on aspects of the Agenda For Change agreement particularly surrounding enhanced unsociable hours payments given for night shifts and weekends when he submits evidence to the NHS Pay review body in the next few weeks. It is also felt that the Government will attempt to redefine the working day in line with their 7 day service strategy. This could see unsociable hours pay kicking in much later in the evening and being abolished at weekends. Other possible changes could include smaller incremental progression pay rises as well as getting rid of any overlapping pay structures between bands. meaning those nurses who reach the top of their band, don’t progress or rely on extra hours payments may see the long term pay drop further despite any pay increase.