During that time there have been significant changes to the pay landscape, including the introduction of the National Minimum Wage and important developments in both services and career pathways across the NHS.
Pay reviews for those on Agenda for Change terms and conditions are usually based on recommendations from the NHS Pay Review body (NHS PRB). However, the PDA can report that a mandate has been provided to the NHS Staff Council for Agenda for Change (AfC) pay negotiations for England, Northern Ireland and Wales to proceed following a recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body.
This means that negotiations involving NHS employers, working alongside governments and the health service unions, will commence shortly with the goal of ensuring that the AfC pay structure remains fit for purpose.
The joint statement issued on behalf of NHS employers and the Staff Side unions, including the PDA, is as follows:
We are pleased to confirm that, following the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body, Staff Council has received a mandate from the Department of Health and Social Care for England, the Department of Health, Social Care and Early Years for Wales, and the Department of Health for Northern Ireland to proceed with Agenda for Change (AfC) pay negotiations.
The NHS Staff Council and governments have developed and agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which establishes the key principles and processes for conducting these tri-administration negotiations within the Staff Council and with involvement of the relevant devolved bargaining structures.
Negotiations on reforms to the AfC pay structure will commence at the end of April. The governments have made commitments to pay structure reform effective from 1 April 2026 so, if agreement is reached, backdating will apply.
In addition, the negotiations will explore the scope for any agreement to also cover 2027-28 and 2028-29. This marks an important step in addressing longstanding issues within the AfC pay structure and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to reaching this point.
We look forward to engaging constructively in the forthcoming negotiations, with a shared commitment to securing meaningful and sustainable reform
Act now to strengthen the union’s negotiating position
PDA members can support the unions’ negotiating position. Please click here to add your name to an open letter, sent jointly by all NHS Staff Side unions to the three governments, saying clearly that 3.3% is not enough.
Note 1: The 14 Agenda for Change unions are the Association for Laboratory Medicine, British Association of Occupational Therapists, British Dietetic Association, British Orthoptic Society, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, GMB, PDA Union, Prison Officers Association, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Podiatry, Society of Radiographers, UNISON and Unite.
Note 2: Pay negotiations for NHS Scotland already occur separately under the Scottish Terms and Conditions (STAC) structures. PDA is also part of the STAC structures.
Learn more
Not yet a PDA member?
If you have not yet joined the PDA, we encourage you to join today and ask your colleagues to do the same.
Membership is FREE to pharmacy students, trainee pharmacists, and for the first three months of being newly qualified.
Read about our key member benefits here.