Scottish Government urged to reconsider record pay offer for NHS staff

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has reacted angrily to the announcement from the Scottish Government about a new NHS pay offer.

All NHS workers in Scotland have been offered a flat-rate £2,205 pay rise – an average uplift of seven percent – to help tackle the cost-of-living crisis and retain staff during the tougher winter months.

If agreed, the pay uplift, which amounts to almost half a billion pounds, will benefit more than 160,000 employees including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals, and healthcare support staff, the Scottish Government promises.

This is the largest pay offer given to NHS Scotland Agenda for Change staff since devolution and will mean they remain the best paid in the UK. If accepted, the offer will be backdated to 1 April 2022, and could be added to pay cheques in time for Christmas, according to the government.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am grateful to trade union colleagues and NHS employers for constructive discussions on pay. This has been another exceptionally challenging year for our health service and we have a difficult winter ahead, but I am pleased that we are able to recognise the service and dedication of our healthcare and support staff with this pay offer.

“We owe NHS staff a debt of gratitude for leading us through the greatest public health crisis in recent history.

“This improved pay offer – which is the largest of its kind since devolution – reflects their hard work and will go a long way to help them through the cost of living crisis. We are rightly focussing the biggest increases for those who are the lowest paid, as we know the cost crisis is impacting them disproportionately.”

However, the CSP says that the offer is lower for the top of band 7 and above than the one already rejected (a five percent pay increase).

It argues that although the Scottish Government is promoting that the pay increase averages a seven percent uplift across the board, it equates to 4.6 per cent for those at the top of band 7 and less for those in bands 8 and 9.

Meanwhile, inflation is running at 10 percent, the society warns.

Alex MacKenzie, Chair of Council at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and an NHS clinician in Scotland, responded: “We welcome additional support for the lowest paid members of our NHS workforce, especially in a time of such high inflation.

“But it is simply a kick in the teeth to come back with an offer that is actually lower than the one already rejected for a substantial number of our members.

“For our vital experienced and expert clinicians, this new offer equates to 4.6 per cent or lower – well below the 5 per cent that members have already emphatically rejected.

Our members are working under extreme pressure to help patients recover after serious illness or injury, help them get home, or help people stay out of hospital in the first place. These are members who put their lives on the line during the pandemic and it simply beggars belief that the Scottish government thinks that this offer could be acceptable.

“We have a workforce crisis in Scotland and this insult can only risk pushing more experienced, highly-skilled professionals out of the NHS or into retirement.

“It’s a truly reckless act and we urge the government to reconsider and make an improved offer for all NHS staff.”

The pay ballot in Scotland closes on 31 October, and Alex encouraged all to participate.