I am responding on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the 33rd report of the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB). The report has been laid before Parliament today (Cm260). Copies of the report are available to hon. Members from the Vote Office and to noble Lords from the Printed Paper Office.
As this is the third and final year of the three-year Agenda for Change pay and contract reform deal (2018-19 to 2020-21), the NHSPRB did not make any pay recommendations for 2020-21.
This multi-year deal has delivered year-on-year pay increases for our much valued NHS staff, and as part of this we have increased the starting salary for a newly qualified nurse by over 12% and increased the lowest starting salary within the NHS by over 16%.
The Government welcome the 33rd report of the NHSPRB and are grateful to the chair and members for all their work and helpful observations at what is a challenging time for our NHS. The report rightly recognises the hard work and dedication of our NHS staff in responding to the covid-19 pandemic, and makes helpful observations on effective workforce planning and how best to support the development of the NHS workforce.
The upcoming People Plan will seek to address many of the observations made by the NHSPRB, and the Government remain committed to delivering on their manifesto commitment to deliver 50,000 more nurses in the NHS by 2025.
[HCWS409]