NHS pay cap to be scrapped

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced that the cap on NHS pay is to be scrapped.

The seven-year cap on NHS staff wages will end next year.

Speaking in the House of Commons on 10 October, Hunt said: “NHS staff do a fantastic job in tough circumstances, and pay restraint has been challenging for many of them. However, given the financial pressures, it is also true that the NHS would not have been able to recruit an additional 30,000 staff since May 2010 without the cap.

“We recognise that it was not sustainable to carry on with the 1% rise going forward, which is why we have been given the leeway to have more flexible negotiations next year.

“The latitude that the Chancellor has given me with respect to the negotiation of future pay rises is partly linked to productivity improvements that we will negotiate at the same time. The fact is, though, that we do have that flexibility, and I hope we can get a win-win as a result.”