Pay Award Update
You’ll be aware that the national NHS Staff Council has accepted the pay offer made by the government for Agenda for Change (AFC) staff in England. AFC contracts cover all band 1-9 staff, excluding doctors and dentists and very senior managers.
To recap on the detail, this year’s consolidated* pay award (2023/24) means a 5% increase in basic pay for all AFC pay points (backdated to 1 April 2023), with the lowest paid staff seeing their pay brought up to the top of AFC band 2 (a 10.4% pay increase).
There are also two components to the non-consolidated** pay award for last year (2022/23):
- A non-consolidated award worth 2%; and a one-off NHS 'backlog bonus' worth between £1,250 and £1,600.
- These non-consolidated payments cover staff directly employed by NHS organisations as of 31 March 2023 and will be paid on a pro-rata basis according to your contracted hours at that time.
Whilst bank staff will be eligible for the consolidated pay award, they will not be eligible for the non-consolidated component. The aim is for eligible AFC staff to receive all payments, as appropriate, in June’s payroll. You can read more here, including some helpful FAQs and the new 2023/24 AFC pay scales.
Are you in receipt of universal credit or repaying/in receipt of a student loan?
If you receive universal credit then the lump sum ‘backlog bonus’ payment may affect you. We strongly suggest you take advice from Universal Credit – the helpline details can be found here. After taking advice, if you believe your universal credit will be negatively affected by the lump sum payment then you can apply to receive it in instalments up until the end of March 2024.
The lump sum payments may also affect colleagues currently receiving or repaying their student loan. You should take advice from your student loan provider then decide on the best course of action for you, which may also include receiving the lump sum payment in instalments.
How to apply to receive the lump sum in instalments
We’ve developed a short application form which you’ll need to complete and submit to dchst.esrinput@nhs.net by 31 May 2023. You should only apply to receive the lump sum in instalments if you’re likely to be affected due to universal credit or a student loan.
* A consolidated pay rise is a permanent increase in salary.
** Non-consolidated payments are one-off, non-pensionable awards. These payments do not affect an individual’s base salary, but they are taxed at the usual rate. Non-consolidated payments can be given out by organisations based on performance, as a bonus, or in recognition of changing circumstances like rising living costs.