Wiltshire and BANES medics miss out on £2,000 pay deal

Hundreds of health workers in west England say they're missing out on thousands of pounds in the latest deal over pay

Hundreds of medics working for a private company are missing out on a pay deal worth on average £2000.

In parts of west England, community nurses and therapists employed by the NHS will get the extra cash.

But some health care workers in Bath and Wiltshire who work for external companies, have been told they will not get the latest pay award.

The government said local health bosses should finance the 5% pay award, which also included a one-off payment.

The pay deal is worth on average around £2000 a year

Health Care Resourcing Group (HCRG) said it was "very unfair" that their employees will be paid less than NHS workers.

The company blamed the government for excluding private companies and social enterprises from this part of the pay deal.

In March, the government offered the 5% pay rise for 2023-24 and a one-off payment of at least £1,655 to top up last year's salary, depending on staff grades.

So this will mean that, for example, a newly registered band five NHS nurse would receive a one-off payment of over £2000.

The offer covers all NHS staff except doctors.

The non-consolidated part of the pay deal is not funded by the Department of Health and Social Care

But HCRG, which provides community staff including nurses and physios in Bath and North East Somerset, Wiltshire and Swindon, said this non-consolidated part of the pay deal was not funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

An HCRG health worker, who does not want to be identified, told the BBC: "We feel as though we are being segregated from the NHS and a little bit let down by the Department of Health, especially since the Covid pandemic where a number of us were redeployed from our community settings to keep the NHS going and to reduce the strain on the core acute services.

"I was doing 60 hour weeks during the summer of 2020. It feels very disappointing and frustrating as we consider ourselves to be an integral part of the NHS, delivering the same standard of care as other colleagues who do get this money."

Lanre Amosu, Royal College of Nursing representative in Bristol, says the government has created a two-tier pay system

Lanre Amosu, Royal College of Nursing representative in Bristol, accused the government of creating a "two tier system", leaving some nurses behind.

"Even though the offer is not enough in the first instance, now imagine not receiving anything at all?," she said.

Sirona Healthcare, a not-for profit social enterprise employing community staff in the wider Bristol area with NHS funding, has confirmed it will be implementing the full pay award, including back pay.

HCRG has however urged employees to write to their MP.

Patrick Birchall, chief operating officer at HCRG Care Group, said: "As in previous years, our colleagues - nurses, therapists and other health professionals on these contracts - will receive every penny of funding for the pay award that we get, but we cannot pass on what we've not received."

The DHSC said local health funders should urgently identify any additional cash requirements as a result of this pay award.

They maintain that frontline services and the quality of care for patients should not be affected by the offer.