17 Sep 2001
The NHS Confederation is promoting a new approach to pay policy based on evidence, frankness and partnership in its recommendations to the Pay Review Bodies this year.
Launching the evidence, Confederation chief executive, Stephen Thornton, said "we need a new, more mature approach to determining pay awards for NHS staff. The current process relies too much on assertion, anecdote and adverserialism - it should be based on evidence, frankness and partnership.
We do not really know what the relationship is between pay and employment for key groups of NHS staff. If the NHS is going to be able to recruit and retain the staff it needs we must be clear about what drives people to join or remain in the NHS and the importance that pay plays in these decisions.
We are calling on the Pay Review Bodies to initiate detailed research into these issues. This research should then be used as the basis of future consideration of pay awards. In the light of this research we believe that the Review Bodies should look at the benefits of longer-term pay deals.
At the same time we need to approach this on a partnership basis with all the stakeholders, particularly staff organisations. That means identifying areas of common interest whilst recognising the distinct responsibilities of the different stakeholders. It also requires a frank and open approach to the issues.
We recognise that this work will take some time and the Review Bodies must make a recommendation for next year's pay round. We are proposing that there should be a percentage increase modestly above the rate of inflation for all staff.
These proposals have been developed in full consultation with NHS organisations and we believe they represent a genuinely innovative and positive approach towards determining fair pay for NHS staff."
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Last reviewed 25 Oct 2006