Pay campaign 2026
Undervalued, understaffed, underpaid
How can we deliver the safest care with maternity staff who are exhausted, undervalued and overstretched?
Join our fight to value midwives and deliver fair pay.
NHS Unions joint letter
Make your voice heard and sign the letter to the Health Secretary to call for real investment on NHS pay and the Agenda for Change pay structure.
Enough is enough – the Government needs to deliver for the maternity workforce and end:
NO: below inflation pay: the 3.3% award for staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland doesn’t even cover last year’s 3.6% inflation rate and we know the cost of living is going up fast this year.
NO: a pay system that doesn’t reward new starters or those taking on more responsibility. We need structural pay reform to Agenda for Change.
NO: working understaffed shifts with no breaks. Feeling valued is about more than pay – maternity staff need action on staffing so that services are not stretched too thin, meaning staff have no time to care, take rest breaks and time for training.
You deserve far better than another below-inflation pay award. For many, a 3.3% award will feel like a pay cut, not a pay rise. After years or relentless pressures and falling wages, it’s time the Government to deliver for midwives and MSWs. This means committing real funding to structural pay reform talks to deliver the pay improvement maternity staff deserve.
You deliver every day. It’s time the Government delivered too.
Digital assets
Please feel free to download any of the below backgrounds to use on Teams/ Zoom/ Google Meet when you’re having meetings.
Below, we have created some options for you to change your profile picture to help raise awareness for our pay campaign. For the middle twibbon/ profile frame there is some guidance below to help use it.
Guidance for using the profile picture frame
Firstly, make sure you’ve downloaded the campaign frame from above before following the next instructions.
1. Go to Canva
- Visit: https://www.canva.com/
- Log in or create a free account if needed.
2. Start a New Design
- Click create a design
- Choose Custom size
- Enter 1080 x 1080 px (square works best for most profile pictures).
3. Upload your images
- On the left-hand menu, select Uploads
- Upload:
- Your profile photo
- The campaign frame (transparent PNG)
4. Add your profile photo
- Drag your profile picture onto the blank canvas
- Resize it so it fills the square neatly.
5. Download and add the campaign frame from the link above
- Drag the transparent PNG onto the canvas
- It should sit on top automatically
- Resize it to fit your photo perfectly.
6. Download Your New Profile Picture
- Click Share (top right) → Download
- Choose PNG
- Make sure Transparency is off
- Download the finished image.
7. Update Your Profile
- Upload your new image to your social platforms or your internal profile.
