Extra £25m pay boost for health and social care workers

An additional £25m is being made available to improve pay for health and social care workers in Northern Ireland.

Health Minister Robin Swann has informed staff of a further in-year pay award for 2021/22, in addition to the 3% which he has already implemented.

Health unions have given a "guarded welcome" to the announcement after they rejected the 3% award made last year.

Staff under the Agenda for Change system in bands 1-3 get an extra 1.5%.

Staff in bands 4-7 and F1 doctors (on the UK Foundation training programme) will receive an additional 1%.

All other directly employed HSC staff will receive an extra 0.5%. The award will be backdated to 1 April 2021.

The 3% award was implemented last November following a recommendation from the NHS pay review body.

In a letter to staff, Mr Swann said he was able to announce the further in-year pay award following talks with the trade unions.

"While this additional funding is, in part, an acknowledgement of the particular challenges you have faced, I'm very aware that there could never be enough to truly repay you for the sacrifices of the last two years," he said.

"I have tried to devise a scheme that best utilised the funding I have available and one which was deliberately slightly more generous to our lower paid workers."

Rising costs

In a joint statement, health and social care unions said while they provided a "guarded welcome" to the additional monies they remain "extremely disappointed" with the Pay Review Body recommendation of 3%.

"We stated clearly that members' earnings for the year 2021-2022 will not have kept pace with rising costs. Health workers deserve better," the statement said.

"The minister's decision was made following protracted discussions with the trade unions on the issue of pay.

"Health trade unions recognise that this award covers all health workers and reinforced the need for continued discussion on the impact of the pandemic on our members and on-going recruitment and retention issues linked to pay."

Agenda for Change (AfC) is the main pay system for staff in the health service, excepting doctors, dentists and senior managers.