Pay awards must be funded in full

Responding to the government’s pay announcement covering doctors, nurses and other NHS staff including senior managers, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Isabel Lawicka, said:

“Given the state of the economy these awards are significant.

“But to avoid making severely stretched NHS finances worse they will have to be fully funded.

“Trust leaders have made clear to us their support for staff being paid fairly for the vital work they do. 

“It’s essential that the NHS can recruit and retain colleagues to meet the huge challenges facing the health service, both in dealing with immediate operational pressures and delivering the transformation in care that will be required in the coming years.

“We hope today’s announcement will help to achieve this, though given ongoing pay disputes, it is a difficult starting point.

“Trusts are working flat out to protect quality and safety of care, and are making big strides in improving productivity and efficiency while trying to balance the books.

“But given the severe financial pressures trusts face in turning around a nearly £7bn shortfall, it is vital that these pay awards are funded in full. Their finances are really stretched and they can’t take a further financial hit through having to make up any shortfall in pay settlements at a time when jobs and services are already at risk.”