NHS staff in Scotland offered up to 4% pay rise putting pressure on Boris Johnson

More than 154,000 NHS Scotland staff, in pay bands one to seven, will be offered at least a 4% pay rise, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

Nurses, paramedics and support staff and porters are among those who could recieve a pay boost to their salaries backdated to December.

It follows the £500 payment to health and social care workers thanking them for their efforts throughout the pandemic.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Following positive discussions with NHS unions and employees the Scottish Government has put forward an offer of the biggest single pay uplift since devolution for NHS Agenda for Change staff.

“Over 154,000 staff would benefit from this rise, which would see the average pay of an front line NHS nurse rise by over £1,200 a year.

"This deal also includes support staff such as domestic staff, porters and health care support workers, the backbone of our services, who would see pay rises of over £1,000 – uplifts of between 4% - 5.4%.

"The uplift will be backdated from 1 December 2020, rather than the usual 1 April 2021, meaning all those covered by the deal will receive an extra benefit.”

The Guardian is reporting that doctors, dentists and most senior managers are excluded from the pay rise.

What has Boris Johnson said to England’s medics?

Medics in England are faced with the prospect of just a 1% pay rise in line with the Government's submission to the NHS pay review body.

Ministers defended that 1% is all Government can afford due to the pandemic and as other public sector workers face a pay freeze.

How much are nurses in England currently paid?

A 1% pay rise for the average nurse wage would be £333.84.

That amounts to £6.42 a week, or 17p per hour worked.

‘NHS should be “shamed” into following Scotland’

A union has said the Westminster Government should be "shamed into following the Scottish example".

Head of health at Unison Sara Gorton said: "This shows where there's a political will there's most definitely a way.

"Valuing health staff and investing in the NHS is a political choice.

"One that Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak are choosing not to make.

"After a long and difficult year, a decent pay rise for NHS staff should be a simple decision to make and popular with the public.

"The Westminster Government should learn from the approach being adopted north of the border on NHS pay and be shamed into following the Scottish example."