The Society of Radiographers has joined other NHS unions in criticising the government’s approach to meeting minimum wage commitments.
In October 2024, the government announced an increase to the NHS National Living Wage effective from 1 April 2025 to £12.21. This means staff in Agenda for Change (AfC) pay Bands 1, both pay points of Band 2 and the start of Band 3 will receive an advance to the 2025/26 pay award from that date.
Since then, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that it wants to limit the budget set aside for 2025/26 wage rises to 2.8 per cent. DHSC has charged the NHS pay review body to decide the budget for modernising the pay structure – with the cost to be deducted from the 2025/26 salary pot.
All unions recognise the need to uplift Band 2 and the starting point for Band 3 without further delay, to meet the new National Minimum Wage levels from 1 April.
However, the government has indicated the budget to do so must come out of the limited 2.8 per cent cap for the 2025-26 NHS pay award. This will apply across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
'A national embarassment'
Dean Rogers, SoR executive director for industrial strategy and member relations, said: “It remains a national embarrassment that there are people doing critical work supporting patients earning so little that a change to the national minimum wage prompts a panic reaction in our NHS.
“The new government will have to address this if it wants staff to have confidence in them when they say they’re serious about addressing the NHS workforce crisis. However, telling employers and the Pay Review Body (PRB) that monies to meet basic legal requirements will shortchange everyone else is not a promising sign that they do understand what it is going to take.”
Evidence submitted by the SoR to the Pay Review Body highlights the problems and challenges facing groups including support workers, new professionals through to managers and leaders.
Cracks that need to be fixed
Mr. Rogers added that the pay and reward structure has numerous “evident cracks" in different places, which all need to be fixed.
“Doing that will require care, time and significant investment,” he said. “It needs to be done strategically so actions in one place don’t make the problem in another worse, to the point the whole thing falls down.
“The workforce crisis is fuelled by a complicated cocktail of different pay, reward and wider funding problems that have brewed up over 15 years. The dominant ingredient is underfunding the whole system. The pay of most of our members has fallen by around a quarter compared to the rest of the economy since 2008.
“You can’t solve the crisis without more funds and you can’t save the NHS without addressing the workforce crisis.”
This year’s pay round should present an opportunity to recognise these issues and set a new course, Mr Rogers continued.
He said: “When standing for election that’s what this government said it would do. However, so far they are mimicking the last government’s actions. Their evidence to the PRB suggests no significant new money in 2025-26. If that’s the case, with the minimum wage taking a slice before the PRB has finished gathering evidence, there isn’t enough to give everyone else even an inflation-proof rise.
“Unless the PRB ignores the government’s suggested spending cap staff we’ll be told to accept another below inflation award, fuelling frustration and encouraging more to leave the NHS. If the PRB does recommend more than the suggested 2.5 per cent that’s now left, employers will wonder where they can find the money, meaning recruitment freezes and continued resistance to flexible working. This also fuels the crisis.
“Our message is clear. The government has been elected to bring positive change and save the NHS. This isn’t how to do it. It’s not too late to change their approach but this year’s pay round will be a key signpost to thousands of staff about what direction they’re taking the NHS.”