Pay in England
The RCM has submitted written and oral evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body for the 2024/25 pay round. As in previous years, we highlighted the impact that delays in publishing the remit letter by the Westminster Government has on the morale and motivation of midwives and MSWs.
Health Secretary starts the 2025/26 NHS Pay Round
The Health Secretary Wes Streeting has formally initiated the NHS pay round for 2025-26 by writing to the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB). The PRB’s primary role is to gather evidence submitted from trade unions, employers and government, and to make a recommendation of what pay award staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts in England should receive from 01 April next year. The PRB’s remit is for the whole of the UK, but it’s for each devolved countries government’s to start the pay process, so it’s only commenced in England currently.
In the official letter, the health secretary states that the funds available will be determined by the Spending Review and announced in the Autumn Budget. He highlights the government’s “challenging financial position” and emphasises the need “to build an NHS fit for the future”
In her July statement the Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she “will consider options to reform the timetable for responding to Pay Review Bodies in the future” Members will have hoped that this would mean an end to the delays that have plagued the process over the last number of years. However, in his letter the health secretary has written that due to the delays to last years pay round it is “unlikely” that staff will receive their pay increases by April, but by bringing the pay round forward this year, they can more fully reset the timeline for 2026/27.
You can read what Alice Sorby, our Director of Employment Relations says about Wes Streeting’s letter by clicking the link below.
Hearing direct from RCM members
Midwives and MSWs gave oral evidence to the NHS PRB in February, sharing their own experiences of the pressure on maternity services. They told the PRB that services are increasingly losing skilled staff because they no longer feel valued.
Written evidence
Ahead of giving oral evidence to the PRB, the RCM submitted its written evidence. We are asking for a consolidated pay award for midwives and MSWs and real action on the non-pay measures, with any recommendations which come from the ongoing working groups fully funded in addition to headline pay increases
Share your story with us
As we saw when we presented oral evidence, hearing direct from midwives and MSWs has a huge impact. We want to hear about the impact of the cost of living on you and your colleagues, as well as your experiences around staffing levels. Tell us your story, and we’ll make sure it’s heard by politicians, policymakers and employers as part of our pay negotiations.
