New pay benefits for NHS staff in Wales to be in place by Christmas.

NHS Wales and trade unions have agreed a deal with NHS staff in Wales that will see them benefit from both pay and non-pay proposals over the next three years. According to the Welsh government, this deal will match, if not supersede, the pay deal agreed by NHS England. There will be an increase in starting salaries for all pay bands, and those staff at the top of their bands will enjoy a guaranteed basic pay increase for the next three years. 2018/19 will see a 3% increase, with 1.7% the following year and 1.67% in the third year.

Vaughan Gething, secretary for health and social services in Wales, said new deal should help the NHS in Wales attract, recruit and retain new staff, ensure pay progression, and support the service and members of NHS staff. He said: “Our NHS staff do a fantastic job delivering world-class care under immense pressure and scrutiny. They work incredibly hard, always putting patients first and keeping them safe, while delivering the best care possible. I’m pleased that today we are able to reward this dedication with a new pay deal that gives parity with their counterparts in England, and goes beyond it in some areas that will benefit the Welsh NHS. After eight years of austerity imposed by the UK government, we have committed extra funding beyond the consequential funding that we received following the pay rise in England, to offer a deal which is not only fair to staff and taxpayers but will also lead to a better NHS for Wales.”