More than 1.4 million National Health Service workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are to receive a 3.3% pay rise from April, the government has confirmed.
The increase follows a recommendation from the independent NHS Pay Review Body, which the government has accepted in full, health minister Wes Streeting said in a written ministerial statement on Thursday.
The pay review body said the 3.3% uplift was needed to help address ongoing challenges with recruitment, retention and staff morale across the health service. The award applies to most NHS staff groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, though Scotland determines NHS pay separately.
Inflation in Britain stood at 3.4% in December, according to the latest Office for National Statistics figures, but the Bank of England expects it to fall back to its 2% target in April and remain close to that level over the next three years.
Mr Streeting acknowledged that the award was higher than the government’s initial estimate of what it could afford, but said it would be funded from within the existing health budget without the need to cut frontline services.
Union response and context
Health unions have welcomed the rise but many continue to argue that it falls short of what is needed to reverse more than a decade of real-terms pay erosion. The Royal College of Nursing, Unison and other staff groups are expected to issue detailed statements in the coming days.
The award comes at a time when the NHS continues to face intense pressure on staffing levels. Recent figures show tens of thousands of vacancies across nursing, medical and support roles, with many trusts relying heavily on agency staff and overseas recruitment to fill gaps.
Ministers have repeatedly stressed that improving pay and conditions is part of a wider plan to make the NHS a more attractive employer, alongside reforms to career progression, flexible working and mental health support for staff.
What the pay award covers
The 3.3% increase will apply across most Agenda for Change pay bands, which cover the majority of non-medical and non-dental NHS staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Doctors, dentists and very senior managers are covered by separate pay arrangements.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already indicated that public sector pay awards for 2026/27 will need to remain “affordable and responsible” as the government balances public spending against economic headwinds.
Health leaders say the pay rise, while welcome, is only one part of the solution. They continue to call for long-term investment in workforce planning, training places and measures to reduce burnout among existing staff.
Looking ahead
The government says the award demonstrates its commitment to valuing NHS staff while maintaining fiscal discipline. Opposition parties and unions are likely to argue that more substantial increases are required if the health service is to avoid future staffing crises.
With the NHS entering the final months of the current financial year, attention will now turn to how the pay award is implemented and whether it will help ease some of the recruitment and retention pressures that have persisted since the pandemic.
For the more than 1.4 million workers who will see the increase in their April pay packet, the rise represents a modest but tangible improvement in real terms after several years of below-inflation awards.
