In response to a decision by the NHS Staff Council, which represents employers and unions, to accept a pay deal for 2022-23 and 2023-24, Sir Julian Hartley, NHS Providers chief executive said:

"Trust leaders are breathing a sigh of relief at today's decision. We hope that this brings an end to the most disruptive period of industrial action in NHS history.

"But the NHS isn't out of the woods yet.

"Despite this result, nobody can deny the scale of longstanding and mounting pressures facing staff, frontline services and the quality of care that they can give. We mustn't forget that the various unions were not unanimous in their vote today, reflecting the strength of feeling among NHS staff.

"Leaders of NHS trusts want what's best for patients and staff. We understand why NHS staff reached a tipping point amid a cost of living crisis and severe staff shortages which mean ever-increasing workloads.

"We hope this breakthrough signals an opportunity for the government and unions to 'reset' their relationship and to resolve wider, ongoing issues affecting the NHS and its people. The government must act to tackle fundamental problems including understaffing and burnout.

"Trust leaders and staff continue to work flat out to see patients as quickly as possible. They have made huge strides in reducing very long waits for treatment and are beginning the process of recovering urgent and emergency care services after one of the worst winters the NHS has ever seen.

"Industrial action over the past six months has led to more than 531,000 patient appointments being rescheduled, but we must remember that care backlogs stretch back long before strikes and the pandemic due to years of underfunding and many thousands of vacancies. There's a capacity crunch with overstretched services struggling to meet growing demand.

"Now the NHS needs to see a firm commitment from the government that this pay deal will be fully funded. It is vital too that we see a sustainable, long-term workforce plan – fully costed and fully funded – to tackle chronic staff shortages, with a clear vision of how enough staff will be recruited and retained to meet ever-increasing demand."