Official papers show the government already factored in a bigger NHS pay rise

06 March 2021


Responding to the government's statement that its 1% proposed pay rise for NHS staff in 2021/22 is all that is affordable, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

"It is very disappointing that the government has said that a 1% pay rise is all that is affordable when they know that the assumption was that the 2021/22 NHS pay rise would be 2.1% and that this was covered by the NHS revenue settlement announced by Theresa May in June 2018. This settlement was then enshrined in a formal act of parliament, the NHS Funding Act 2020.

Our submission also makes it clear that any pay rise would need to be fully funded by government so trusts don't have to cut other services.

Saffron Cordery    Deputy Chief Executive

"These assumptions, published in June 2019 were, of course, made before the events of the last 12 months which have significantly strengthened the case for a larger pay rise for NHS staff. In a survey of trust leaders for our evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body, 82% of respondents wanted a pay uplift of at least 3%, with only 14% saying it should be 2% or less. Our submission also makes it clear that any pay rise would need to be fully funded by government so trusts don't have to cut other services.

"Some will think that the government is snatching planned pay rises from the pockets of deserving NHS staff so they don't have to fund the extra costs of COVID-19, which the chancellor personally committed he would meet.

"We assume that the Pay Review Bodies will take full account of these published assumptions in the recommendations they make."