London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jul 03, 2026

NHS pay deal signed off for one million staff

NHS pay deal signed off for one million staff

More than a million NHS staff in England are to receive a 5% pay rise, after health unions backed the deal.

Staff including ambulance workers, nurses, physios and porters will also get a one-off sum of at least £1,655.

The pay deal was signed off at a meeting between the government and 14 health unions representing all NHS staff apart from doctors and dentists.

Ministers said it was time to bring the strikes to an end - but three unions are threatening to continue action.

However, only one - Unite - currently has a strike mandate and that is for local strikes in some ambulance services and a few hospitals.


'Missing out'


Unison head of health Sara Gorton, who chairs the joint NHS union group, said: "NHS workers will now want the pay rise they've voted to accept.

"The hope is that the one-off payment and salary increase will be in June's pay packets."

But Ms Gorton said health staff should not have needed to strike on such a scale - nurses, physiotherapists and ambulance staff have all taken strike action since December.

"Proper pay talks last autumn could have stopped health workers missing out on money they could ill afford to lose," she said.

"The NHS and patients would also have been spared months of disruption."


'Fair outcome'


Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was pleased the offer, proposed in March, had been accepted by the unions after members had voted on it.

"Where some unions may choose to remain in dispute, we hope their members - many of whom voted to accept this offer - will recognise this as a fair outcome that carries the support of their colleagues and decide it is time to bring industrial action to an end.

"We will continue to engage constructively with unions on workforce changes to ensure the NHS is the best place to work for staff, patients and taxpayers."

Despite some of the unions rejecting the offer, the deal was agreed after a majority backed it as a result of the support of some of the biggest unions in the NHS, such as Unison, the GMB and those representing physiotherapists and midwives.

All staff will now receive the extra pay.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), one of the unions that rejected the offer, has warned it will continue to pursue strike action.

But it needs to hold another ballot of its members, as its six-month mandate expired at the end of Monday, when its latest walkout ended.


RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the union would start balloting in the coming weeks.

In a letter to Mr Barclay, she said while she "entirely respected" the other unions who had voted to accept, she would continue to fight for her members, who voted to reject the offer despite the RCN leadership recommending it to them.

"Nursing is the largest part of the NHS workforce and they require an offer that matches their true value," she added.

Unlike last time, the RCN is holding a national ballot rather than a series of local workplaces ones.

That means it will be harder to win a strike mandate - something dubbed an "all or nothing" approach, in one last attempt to persuade ministers to return to the negotiating table.


Pay claim


The health secretary also met the British Medical Association on Tuesday to see if the two sides could agree a way forward in the junior doctors' pay dispute.

They are on a different contract so not affected by the agreement reached with the other NHS staff.

The BMA wants a 35% rise, to make up for 15 years of below-inflation wage increases.

Junior doctors have held two strikes so far. Mr Barclay has said the pay claim is unaffordable.

A government spokesman said the discussion was "constructive" and both parties would meet again in the coming days.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Luxury bags take over the World Cup: style, status symbol, or just showing off?
UK Parliamentary Committee Launches Inquiry Into Falling Primary School Rolls and Public Service Impact
UK House of Lords Debates Electoral Commission Powers and Political Finance Reform
UK Parliament Considers Expanding Carbon Rules to International Aviation and Shipping Emissions
UK Traffic Commissioner Revokes Hampshire Haulage Operator Licence Over Regulatory Failures
UK Parliament Examines Risks in Public Contracts Awarded to Technology Firm Palantir
UK Competition Watchdog Moves Toward More Flexible Merger Rules to Support Efficiency and Growth
UK Government Seeks Approval for £1.15 Trillion Public Spending Plan Amid Scrutiny Over Department Budgets
UK Parliament Debates Sweeping National Security and Steel Industry Nationalisation Bills
UK Government Issues Formal Apology for Historic Forced Adoption Practices and Announces £4 Million Support Scheme
UK DEFENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY TILTS TOWARD SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY AND INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT
UK ECONOMIC POLICY OUTLOOK SHAPED BY LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AND FISCAL SIGNALS
STERLING STRENGTHENS AMID SHIFTING MONETARY OUTLOOK AND GLOBAL LABOUR MARKET SIGNALS
UK HPV VACCINATION PROGRAM NEARLY ELIMINATES CERVICAL CANCER DEATH RISK IN YOUNG WOMEN
UK EXPANDS PRISON SAFETY REVIEW AS GOVERNMENT SEEKS WIDER SYSTEM REFORM
UK DRIVES DIGITAL ASSETS STRATEGY WITH NEW STABLECOIN REGULATORY MODEL
UK TO EXPAND AI INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH NEW EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
UK LAUNCHES £15 BILLION DEFENCE TECH SHIFT TOWARD ADVANCED MILITARY SYSTEMS
CIVIL SERVICE FACES SHIFT IN POWER STRUCTURE AS REGIONAL GOVERNANCE PLANS EXPAND
WHITEHALL CONSIDERS MAJOR DECENTRALISATION PLAN WITH SECOND GOVERNMENT HUB IN MANCHESTER
UK TARGETS SERVICES EXPORT GROWTH IN TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA AMID GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS
POLICE WATCHDOG PROBES OFFICERS OVER HANDCUFFING OF DYING TEENAGER IN HAMPSHIRE CASE
UK REGULATORS UNVEIL DUAL OVERSIGHT FRAMEWORK FOR STABLECOINS AND DIGITAL ASSETS
KEIR STARMER ANNOUNCES £15 BILLION DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY BOOST IN FINAL MAJOR POLICY MOVE
ANDY BURNHAM SIGNALS STRICT FISCAL RULES AS LABOUR LEADERSHIP RACE SHAPES MARKET OUTLOOK
POUND STERLING HITS ONE-YEAR HIGH AS BANK OF ENGLAND SIGNALS NO IMMINENT RATE CUTS
UK Government Confirms Rejected Asylum Seekers to Remain Amid Enforcement Challenges
UK-China Economic Talks Focus on Services Trade and High-Value Sectors
Buckingham Palace Revamp Plans Unveiled to Modernise Royal and Public Facilities
Two Dead After Light Aircraft Crash in Essex Field, Investigation Underway
Princess Diana Marked at 65 With UK Tributes Reflecting on Her Public Legacy
England Teachers Face New Pay Cap Rules for Academy School Leaders Under Education Reform
Dublin Security Alert Escalates After Stabbing and Reports of Transport Disruption
UK Government Faces Scrutiny Over £10,000 Asylum Living Cost Contribution Requirement
England Prepares World Cup Knockout Match Against Democratic Republic of Congo
Northern Rail Project Warned of HS2-Style Cost Risks by UK Parliamentary Committee
UK Tightens Asylum Rules as Most Rejected Applicants Expected to Remain in Country
UK Heat Health Alert Issued as Temperatures Expected to Exceed 30°C Across England
Halifax Brand to Disappear From UK High Streets in Lloyds Banking Group Restructuring
England Teachers Receive 6.6 Percent Pay Rise Over Two Years as Schools Warn of Budget Strain
UK Defence Spending Plan Sparks Budget Clash as Regional Infrastructure Projects Face Pressure
Inquest Continues in Northern Ireland into Death of Noah Donohoe in Belfast
UK Travel Industry Calls for Suspension of New EU Border System During Peak Holiday Season
Telegraph Media Group Acquired by German Media Firm in £575 Million Deal Completion
House of Commons Warns Northern Rail Upgrade Risks Repeating High-Speed 2 Cost Overruns
UK Transport Unions Warn of Summer Strike Action Over Pay Disputes
UK Health Secretary Calls Maternity Care Review a “Watershed Moment” for NHS Reform
Nigel Farage Faces Questions Over £270,000 Payment Linked to Gold Marketing Firm
Labour Government Faces Internal Division Over North Sea Oil and Gas Policy Direction
National Screening Committee Invites New Proposals for UK Health Screening Programmes
×