NHS staff in Wales offered pay rise on 70th anniversary of the health service

NHS staff in Wales have been offered a pay rise, as the service marks 70 years since it's creation.

The announcement by Welsh Government says the offer, which still needs to be put to a ballot of union members, "matches and in some cases goes beyond the new NHS pay deal for England."

It continues: "It means all NHS staff in Wales will have pay parity with their counterparts in England, following the recently announced new pay deal there."

Credit: PA

It comes as a poll for ITV Wales reveals nearly half of people would be willing to pay more tax to fund the service.

The survey found 48% of respondents in Wales would be willing to pay more tax to fund the NHS Credit: ITV Cymru Wales

The pay offer includes:

  • Going beyond our commitment to the Living Wage Foundation recommendations, with a new rate of £17,460 introduced from 1 April 2018 as the minimum basic pay rate in the NHS and the lowest starting NHS salary increases to £18,005 in 20/21;

  • Investing in higher starting salaries for staff in every pay band by reforming the pay system to remove overlapping pay points;

  • Guaranteeing fair basic pay awards for the next three years to the staff who are at the top of pay bands;

  • Guaranteeing fair basic pay awards and faster progression pay for the next three years to those staff who are not yet on the top of their pay band.