London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Sep 05, 2026

NHS pay offer credible but falls short, union says

NHS pay offer credible but falls short, union says

The Royal College of Nursing has said the Scottish government's final pay offer averaging 7.5% "falls short" of their demands but is "credible".

It comes after the Unite union called off planned work-to-rule by its members in the Scottish Ambulance Service and the GMB suspended a 26-hour strike.

Unison is recommending its members accept the £515m deal.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said there was "nothing left in the coffers".

The RCN had asked for at least 5% above inflation, which is currently 11.1%.

The nurses' body has confirmed two strike dates before Christmas in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

The Scottish government said the new deal was a "record high pay offer" for frontline employees, including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff.

Annual pay rises under the latest deal would range from a flat rate payment of £2,205 for staff in bands 1 to 4 and up to £2,660 for staff in bands 5 to 7, backdated to April.

This represents an increase of 11.3% for the lowest-paid workers and delivers an average uplift of 7.5%, a government spokesperson said.



The new offer for staff on Agenda for Change contracts also includes a review into reducing the working week from 37.5 hours to 36 hours with no loss of pay.

RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We went into what have been very complex and intense negotiations and we've received an improved offer.

"It falls short of what our members were asking for, although we do see it as a credible offer.

"It will now be for our board, who are nurses in the NHS, to initially make a decision on the next steps in relation to that offer.

"They will make the decision on whether this offer goes out to the wider membership and we will keep the members updated on the progress of that."

Mr Poolman said it would be up to the RCN board to decide whether to recommend the offer to members or not.

"[The offer] means very different things to very different people in the grades," he added.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the health secretary were involved in "extensive" talks ahead of this latest proposal.

Another £35m has been put towards the latest deal to avert winter strikes in the health service.

Mr Yousaf told BBC Scotland he was "delighted to be able to table a record pay offer".

He said: "It's a great offer, it's a record offer, and I hope that nurses and other NHS staff take a look at it and realise it's a fair offer too, given the financial constraints that we're under."

The health secretary said the government had no more money for the pay deal


The health secretary told BBC Scotland that he "would love to give an inflation-busting offer, [but] I'm not able to."

He added: "I can't go any further, so that is why this is the final offer. I think it's the best offer.

"Unison, the largest health trade union, have recognised that it's one worthy of accepting and therefore I hope other NHS staff look at the deal and, in the circumstances, agree that it's a fair one."

Mr Poolman said RCN board deliberations would take place over the next few days.

"We've got to take the government at their word," he said.

"At the negotiations, it was made very clear at the end by both the first minister and the cabinet secretary they do not believe that they can find any more resource and that this is their final offer."

He added: "These are exceptional times. It's still an offer that falls short of what were our asks.

"That's why it's important that our members make the decision on whether it's accepted or not."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Parliament Raises Concerns Over Funding Structure of £400 Million Tropical Forest Initiative
Andy Burnham Launches Number 10 North as Part of UK Devolution Push
UK Reaffirms Falkland Islands Sovereignty Amid Renewed Regional Pressure
Andy Burnham to Abstain From Assisted Dying Vote as Ministers Are Told to Remain Neutral
Kemi Badenoch Sacks Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride in Conservative Economic Strategy Shake-Up
UK Government Drops Early Prisoner Release Plan in Favor of Deportations and Wider Prison Reform
UK Farmers Warn Drought-Hit Harvests Could Push Grocery Prices Higher
UK Economy Faces Persistent Stagflation Risks Ahead of October Budget
Masked Protesters Block Port of Dover Roads, Disrupting Cross-Channel Traffic
Reform UK Suspends Senior Officials After Undercover Investigation Into Foreign Donation Plans
UK Urges Households to Keep Emergency Supplies Amid Severe El Niño Warning
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Sets Out Regional Industry and Prison Reform Agenda
Siemens Energy Wins Rolls-Royce Small Modular Reactor Manufacturing Contract
UK Mortgage Costs Rise as Gilt Yields and Swap Rates Climb
Bank of England’s Huw Pill Calls for Prompt Rate Rise as Inflation Risks Persist
National Audit Office Warns UK Is Unprepared for Major Food Supply Disruptions
British Army Suspends Some Training Exercises as Budget Pressures Intensify
HMS Queen Elizabeth Deploys as NATO Allied Response Force Command Ship
Reform UK Suspends Two Senior Officials Over Alleged Foreign Donation Scheme
UK Reasserts Falkland Islands Sovereignty After Argentina Threatens Sanctions
Scottish Tech Company PureLifi Enters Administration With More Than 40 Job Losses
Scottish Government Names Alyn Smith Innovation and Education Minister
Green Party Co-Leader Zack Polanski to Contest By-Election for Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Palestine Action Activists Appeal Terrorism-Related Prison Sentences
PwC Report Highlights Persistent Regional Spending-Power Divide Across Britain
UK Names Hundreds of Employers for Minimum Wage Violations
UK Commits £400 Million to International Tropical Forest Fund
UK Extends £2 Bus Fare Cap Across England Through 2027
UK Warns Travellers as US-Iran Tensions Disrupt Middle East Security and Shipping
Andy Burnham Faces Kemi Badenoch in First Prime Minister’s Questions
Kemi Badenoch Names Andrew Griffith Shadow Chancellor in Conservative Reshuffle
UK Treasury and Markets Focus on Fiscal Headroom Ahead of Autumn Budget
UK Government Reverses Early Release Plans for Serious Violent and Sexual Offences
UK and France Review Border Cooperation After 48,000 Small-Boat Crossings Prevented
UK Growth Outlook Weakens as Inflation and Energy Costs Rise
Breeding Tropical Mosquitoes Discovered in East London
Sadiq Khan Agrees to Search of Digital Communications in Palantir Lawsuit
Scottish Protesters Call for Moratorium on AI Data Centre Expansion
Uber Drivers Bring London Class Action Over Algorithmic Management
Reform UK Accepts £4 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaire Pardoned by Trump
Justice Secretary Tightens Early Release Scheme to Exclude Manslaughter Offenders
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Team as Reform UK Pressure Grows
British Mortgage Rates Rise as Global Bond Sell-Off Pushes Up Borrowing Costs
UK Records Hottest Summer on Record in 2026
UK Government Urges Households to Stock Essential Supplies Ahead of Severe El Niño Risk
UK Prepares Targeted Sanctions Over Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Reform UK Faces Electoral and Police Scrutiny Over Foreign Donation Allegations
UK and France Expand Channel Migration Cooperation as Trade Tensions Surface
UK Marks Merchant Navy Day With Tribute to Civilian Seafarers
Burnham Pays Tribute to Two Police Officers Killed on Duty in Northern England
×