The Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt, has announced that he has signed off on a pay award in line with the Pay Review Body (PRB) recommendation of a 3.6% pay rise for those employed under Agenda for Change terms and conditions for 2025-26. 

However, he has also stated that his ministerial direction is likely to go to the finance minister, who may choose to implement it or pass it on to the Executive for a final decision.

Responding to the Minister’s comments, RCN Northern Ireland Executive Director, Professor Rita Devlin said: “While we welcome the Health Minister’s swift response to the NHS Pay Review Body’s recommendations, our members will be extremely concerned about how long it will take to receive a final decision about HSC pay. 

“We have made it clear time and time again that it will be completely unacceptable to nursing staff to have to wait months for a decision to be made and we hope our politicians have listened to this. The Health Minister has agreed to the recommendations, and we would urge his Executive colleagues to take equally swift action to ensure that health care professionals in Northern Ireland are not, once again, left behind. 

“Health care staff in Scotland, England and Wales now have a pay award agreed and it is crucial that this situation is resolved quickly to reassure hard-working nursing staff in Northern Ireland that they won’t have to wait an unacceptable length of time to get a pay rise.

“This pay award is only just ahead of inflation which is now running at 3.5% and will do little to reassure nursing staff that they feel valued. At a time when morale is low and we are experiencing consistent pressures, it is vital to ensure fair pay, particularly if we are to recruit and retain staff. 

“In the longer term, nursing requires proper pay and career reform that ensures nursing is recognised for the safety critical profession it is. We already have over 1,700 nursing vacancies in Northern Ireland and failure to invest in our workforce will only deepen the crisis in patient care.”