On Friday 3 July, the BDA stood with other NHS trade unions to deliver a joint letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, calling for the focus and investment needed to make fair pay in the NHS a reality.
In the letter, signed by 78,000 NHS staff and supported by 14 health unions, NHS workers have told government that a 3.3% pay award is not enough.
The letter also warns that the pay award fails to keep pace with the cost of living, won’t repair years of lost pay and doesn’t address the lower pay rises for those on Agenda for Change contracts than other groups in recent years.
Last year, the BDA pulled out of the pay review body process alongside other health unions, due to unnecessary delays and it not being fit for purpose. The letter highlights that the current system gives staff and their unions no say and says that an improved process is needed.
The BDA was represented on the day by Sonila Ellahi, Director of BDA Trade Union and Employee Relations, and Jennifer Wetherden, BDA Trade Union Representative.
Sonila commented, “We fully support the collective call from NHS unions for a fairer approach to NHS pay. Dietitians and other Agenda for Change staff continue to face significant pressures both professionally and financially, yet this year’s 3.3% pay award falls short of addressing the longstanding erosion in the value of NHS pay.
“At a time when the NHS is facing growing workforce shortages and increasing demand for services, fair pay must be recognised as a critical investment in recruitment, retention and patient care. The NHS relies on the expertise of dietitians across many areas including acute, community, mental health and primary care services. However, attracting and retaining skilled professionals becomes increasingly difficult when pay fails to reflect their contribution and the value they bring to patient outcomes.
“A pay determination process that does not provide NHS staff and their unions with a meaningful voice risks undermining confidence in the system. NHS workers deserve a process that is transparent, credible and based on genuine engagement with the workforce.
“The Government must recognise that fair pay is not simply a workforce issue, it is a patient safety issue. Valuing NHS staff through a fair pay settlement is fundamental to building a sustainable workforce and securing the future of NHS services.”
The BDA stands with fellow health unions in calling for meaningful pay negotiations, backed by additional investment.
Read the joint union letter
Dear Secretary of State, Minister of State,
3.3% is not enough.
NHS staff feel angry and let down. Day in, day out it's a struggle to deal with understaffing, overwork and the constant feeling that - hard as staff try - patients are not getting the standard of care they should.
Years of eroded wages have left staff demoralised, struggling with rising bills and increasingly driven to seek better-paid work elsewhere.
The Pay Review Body process has not delivered.
We hoped things could start to change, and that your government would negotiate with unions and employers to agree a plan for improving pay.
Instead, once again you've gone with a Pay Review Body recommendation for a real-terms pay cut. And using this process gives staff and their unions no say in the matter.
We say 3.3% is not enough.
Not enough to keep pace with the cost of living.
Not enough to restore what has been lost through pay erosion.
And not enough to address the longstanding unfairness of staff on the Agenda for Change (AfC) contract getting less than other groups.
Talks must improve on 3.3% and rebuild trust.
You are imposing a 3.3% award in April. In addition, you say there will be negotiations to improve the AfC pay structure, with any increase backdated to April if a deal is reached. But these talks on the pay structure were first promised more than 18 months ago, and that delay means confidence has been seriously damaged.
For trust to be rebuilt, progress must happen quickly, and you must provide clarity on how these negotiations can improve on what staff have seen so far.
We all want the NHS to succeed.
No one wants the NHS to recover more than the staff who deliver it. But that requires a workforce properly supported to give its best.
Your 10-year plan aspires to make the NHS 'the country's best employer'. NHS staff now call on you to take the first step: recognise the problems with NHS pay and provide sufficient funding so unions and employers can agree how to fix them.
