The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has warned that increases to the National Minimum Wage announced in last week’s Budget underline the urgent need to reform NHS pay bands. 

Last week’s Budget announced that from April 2026, the National Minimum Wage for workers aged over 21 will rise to £12.71 an hour. While the RCM welcomes this boost for the lowest-paid workers, it will leave many NHS staff – including maternity support workers (MSWs) on Band 2 – earning below the new legal minimum. 

MSWs currently receive a top hourly rate of £12.51, despite providing hands-on care to women and their babies and supporting midwives throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. 

The RCM is calling for urgent reform of NHS pay structures to ensure no staff member is paid below the minimum wage and that pay properly reflects additional clinical responsibilities. Under current Agenda for Changes rates, Band 3 staff with extra duties will earn just 4p an hour more than the new minimum wage. 

Gill Walton, RCM Chief Executive, said: “Giving low paid workers a pay boost is fantastic news, but this has put a spotlight out-of-date NHS pay bands, which no longer reflect even the legal national minimum wage. 

“If we want to attract and retain staff to provide quality maternity care to women, babies and their families, we need a pay system that is fit for purpose. This means pay reform to make sure every member of staff is paid fairly, and there are real incentives for staff to take on extra clinical responsibilities is a must.”