Three-year pay deal for nurses and other NHS workers in Wales

Trade unions have unanimously agreed the deal, offered by the Welsh Government, which includes a range of pay and non-pay proposals designed to benefit staff and by extension, patients.

It matches - and in some areas goes beyond - the pay deal for England.

Pay bands will be restructured to include higher starting pay, removal of overlapping pay points, and shorter pay scales.

It guarantees fair basic pay awards for the next three years to staff who are at the top of their bands, a cumulative 6.5 per cent in three years.

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: he is pleased to have been able to reward the dedication and hard work of NHS staff with a new pay deal.

“After eight years of austerity, imposed by the UK Government, we have committed extra funding beyond the consequential funding that we received following the pay rise in England, to offer a deal which is not only fair to staff and taxpayers but will also lead to a better NHS for Wales,” he said.

The agreement includes a continuing commitment to look at the annual Living Wage Foundation recommendations so that NHS pay scales remain fair in the future.

It also provides better payments during sickness absence than in England, as part of a commitment to improve the health, wellbeing and attendance of NHS staff in Wales.

Trade unions and employers will also work together to support individuals if they face a diagnosis of a terminal illness, including support for the TUC's Dying to Work campaign.

The aim is that staff will see the benefits in their pay packets before Christmas.

A new rate of £17,460 is being introduced as the minimum basic pay rate in the NHS, and the lowest starting NHS salary will rise to £18,005 in 2020/21.

There will be higher starting salaries for staff in every pay band, through reform of the pay system to remove overlapping pay points.

Fair basic pay awards will be guaranteed for the next three years for staff who are at the top of pay bands.