09.12.16
Paramedics receive ‘long overdue’ upgrade to Band 6 pay
The Department of Health, NHS Employers and ambulance unions have agreed that paramedics’ salaries will be re-banded nationally, potentially giving them a pay increase of up to £14,000 as they progress.
The new deal will see paramedics in England move up the NHS pay scale from Band 5 (circa £21,000 to £28,000) to Band 6 (£26,000 to £35,000) where appropriate, with new paramedics appointed after September 2016 to have a maximum two-year learning period at Band 5 before moving up.
The change will initially be funded by the DH, NHS England and NHS Improvement before transitioning over to agreements between ambulance trusts and commissioners. The changes have already been rolled out at several NHS England ambulance trusts with the remainder to follow.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said of the deal: “Our dedicated paramedics do a vital job helping patients when they need it most so I’m very pleased that we have agreed a new pay deal with unions.
“In recognition of their increased responsibilities we have agreed to look at re-banding around 12,000 paramedics where their job description matches the requirements of the new Band 6 profile, moving them up the pay scale and making sure we are able to better recruit and retain paramedics in the future to ensure patients will continue to get the very best care.”
The deal looks to recognise and reward the increased clinical expertise of paramedics, whose service will gradually transform from one based on transportation to that of mobile clinical assessment and treatment in order to reduce operational and financial pressure on hospitals.
This builds on recommendations made in the Urgent and Emergency Care Review undertaken by NHS England medical director Sir Bruce Keogh in 2013, which are now being implemented across England.
Ken Wenman, lead chief executive of the Association of Chief Executives and chief executive of South Western Ambulance Service NHS FT, said: “We are really pleased that this agreement on pay banding has been reached, which recognises the additional clinical skills and knowledge ambulance paramedics now have and will continue to develop.
“Patients will undoubtedly benefit from this important decision as ambulance services across the country help to transform urgent and emergency care services in England, treating more patients outside busy hospitals.”
The decision has been welcomed by several trade unions, who were pleased that paramedics will finally be appropriately rewarded for their “highly skilled, stressful and often dangerous” work in saving lives.
Sharon Holder, GMB national officer, said that the move was long overdue after “a decade of poor pay and poor recognition of paramedic skill sets”, while Unite’s national officer for health Sarah Carpenter was equally pleased after the union had spent “a number of years raising concerns”.
Unison’s head of health Christina McAnea, however, warned that the re-banding alone may not solve the “drain of paramedics from the ambulance service”, although she acknowledged that it would help trusts hang onto more experienced staff.
The unions will now work with each other and with ambulance employers to make sure that the agreement is properly implemented.
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