Yesterday (9th April 2025) the UK Government shared its decision to not develop a separate pay spine for nursing staff after the previous government called for evidence.
In May 2023, the previous government agreed a deal for the Agenda for Change (AfC) workforce through negotiations with the NHS Staff Council. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) raised concerns about how the AfC pay structure is affecting the career progression and professional development of nurses, and the impact of this on recruitment and retention. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) suggested that a separate pay spine for nursing staff could address these concerns.
After considering responses from the health and care workforce, and organisations including The College of Paramedics, the UK Government has decided not to take forward a separate pay spine for nursing staff. Responses to the consultation highlighted that the career progression challenges faced by nurses were also being experienced by other NHS professionals, and the evidence was not considered to present sufficient justification for separating nurses’ pay from the rest of the Agenda for Change (AfC) workforce.
This decision corresponds with the view of the College of Paramedics, we shared our concerns of the impact of a separate pay spine on paramedics and other healthcare professionals facing the same workforce issues, over a thousand of our members shared their views via our survey last year, which we used to develop our responses to the UK Government.
Thank you to members for engaging with us and taking the time to complete our surveys and take part in meetings and events to share your views, your feedback in crucial in helping us build a strong voice for the profession.
You can read the full government statement by clicking here