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Pay rise for NI health workers not confirmed

News imagePA Media Mike Nesbitt is wearing a blue shirt, white tie and grey blazer. He has short grey hair and glasses on his face. The background is blurry. PA Media
Mike Nesbitt says he wants to proceed with a recommended 3% pay rise which has already been confirmed for workers in England and Wales

The health minister has not confirmed whether a recommended pay award will be granted to health staff in Northern Ireland, in line with workers in England and Wales.

Mike Nesbitt has said it is his "desire to proceed" with a 3.3% rise for health workers next year after a recommendation by the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB).

This includes nurses, health visitors, midwives, ambulance staff, porters and cleaners.

England and Wales have confirmed they will proceed with the NHSPRB recommendation for 2026-27, which should be effective from 1 April 2026.

"I can confirm that I remain fully committed to ensuring that pay will be the first priority for the Department," Nesbitt said.

He said it remains his "firm ambition" that all healthcare staff will receive their pay increases "as early as possible in the incoming financial year".

But added he can only deliver against those commitments when he is clear about his department's budget.

He said he has asked his officials to progress the necessary preparatory work "at pace" even in the absence of agreement of a budget at Stormont.

Nesbitt said that the draft budget proposals currently being consulted on "will mean another extremely challenging year" and that considerable savings are still required across health and social care services.

He said pay recommendations for Medical and Dental staff are not expected until early April.

'Morale is at an all-time low'

In a statement the executive director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Northern Ireland, Professor Rita Devlin said: "A pay award that falls below current inflation is very disappointing to our members."

She added: "While this pay award will be implemented immediately in England and Wales, nursing staff in Northern Ireland are yet again being left without any certainty about when they will receive it."

Devlin said it was "indefensible" that the absence of a budget is blocking a pay award.

"Morale is at an all‑time low and nursing staff, who already feel deeply undervalued, are leaving.

"We must address these issues if we are to deliver safe care to the people of Northern Ireland," she said.