Will the Minister share the Government's current assessment of the cost of its current proposal for the NHS workforce pay rise?
As I outlined in my Written Statement when I accepted the pay review body independent recommendations, the payment of £1,400 for staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions equates to a range of different percentage increases to NHS Wales wages dependant on pay band, with those on the lowest pay band receiving an increase of 10.8%.
Almost half of the Agenda for Change workforce, who are paid in the lowest pay bands of 1 to 4, will receive an average pay increase to the pay points of 7.5%. More than 89,000 of those on Agenda for Change contracts i.e. those up to and including Band 7 – will receive, on average, a 5.3.% increase to the pay points.
Doctors and Dentists received a 4.5% uplift as recommended by their pay review body.
This equates to a 4.8% average uplift of the overall NHS pay bill. The modelling for the pay award for the NHS put the total costs in the region of £4.5 billion, with a recurring increase of over £200 million.