Agenda for Change Staff Set for 8% Increase
Nurses, midwives and other healthcare staff across Scotland have been offered a pay increase of 8% over two years to ensure they continue to be the best paid in the UK, Health Secretary Neil Gray has announced.
The offer guarantees the pay increase will be one percentage point above inflation over same period.
If accepted by trade unions, it will see pay raises of 4.25% in 2025-26 and 3.75% in 2026-27.
It involves an investment of more than Ā£700 million over the two-year period and will ensure almost 170,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff ā including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others ā benefit from the pay rise which will be backdated to 1 April 2025.
Nurses, midwives and other healthcare staff across Scotland have been offered a pay increase of 8% over two years. This will ensure they continue to be the best paid in the UK, Health Secretary @neilcgray has announced.
— Scot Gov Health (@scotgovhealth) April 8, 2025
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This is a strong two-year pay offer that has been agreed following constructive engagement with trade union representatives. It is guaranteed to remain above CPI inflation, which gives added reassurance to staff, and will ensure Scotlandās nurses, midwives and NHS staff have the best pay in the UK.
HEALTH SECRETARY NEIL GRAY
This comes on the back of increased employer national insurance contributions following the UK Government announcement in October 2024. It directly increases the overall cost of pay by an estimated Ā£191 million for Scotlandās NHS.
I want to express my thanks again to Scotlandās hardworking healthcare staff for their continued hard work and commitment.
The unions will now consult their members and I hope this offer will be accepted.
Background
A total of Ā£701 million has been committed for Agenda for Change pay in 2025-26 and 2026-27. This equates to an uplift of 8% for all staff, 4.25% in 2025-26 and 3.75% in 2026-27.
