The Department of Health and Social Care announced today that pay for all band 5 Agenda for Change NHS staff would rise ahead of negotiations over other changes to the contract.
The NHS Staff Council – which the CSP sits on - will decide the level of uplift.
Jim Fahie, assistant director of employment relations at the CSP, said the announcement was welcome but could only become a reality if backed by additional funding: ‘It’s good that increasing the starting salaries for band fives is now firmly on the agenda,’
‘Without the dedicated funding to pay for it, however, it’s not going to happen, so it’s vital that the government sets out clearly how and when it will provide the additional money.
Beyond that, increasing band 5 pay is just one part of Agenda for Change negotiations that should improve pay and working conditions for all physiotherapy staff in the health service, and we hope to press on with those talks as soon as possible.
It comes as the CSP continues to press government and NHS leaders to address the contradictory situation of workforce underutilisation alongside widespread understaffing.
While services report growing waiting lists and insufficient staffing to meet patient need, many newly qualified physiotherapists are struggling to secure NHS posts.
The CSP has raised these concerns repeatedly with ministers and NHS leaders, including through parliamentary questions and direct engagement with the Department of Health and Social Care.
The CSP remains clear that every physiotherapy graduate who wants to work in the NHS should be offered a job as population need demands it.
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