Over 27,000 more healthcare professionals in England, including community nurses and physiotherapists, are set to benefit from two payments of up to £3,000, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced.
More than a million NHS staff on the Agenda for Change contract received two one-off payments last year.
While these payments were originally only intended for parts of the workforce directly employed by the NHS, last November saw the UK Government rollout a scheme to fund the boost for non-NHS organisations.
Such employers had been required to prove they had been negatively impacted by the pay deal, and that staff were on dynamic Agenda for Change contracts – however, the DHSC has now eased the financial criteria and agreed to additional funding for more than 27,000 people.
The move will ensure hardworking staff can fully benefit from the NHS pay deal, according to the health secretary Victoria Atkins.
The payments will apply to organisations who deliver NHS or Public Health Grant services, and employ their staff on dynamic Agenda for Change contracts. Staff will be eligible for at least £1,655 and up to £3,000 under the agreement.
Set for delivery over the coming months, the funding will benefit everyone from community nurses and sexual health workers, to speech-and-language therapists and physiotherapists.
The DHSC says the payment is partly to recognise the pressure frontline staff are facing, as well as to acknowledge the crucial role non-NHS organisations play in the healthcare ecosystem – including social enterprises, charities, private providers and local authorities.
Learn more about the latest initiatives health and care workers can benefit from at National Health Executive’s dedicated Workforce online conference.
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