The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7442 p269
10 March 2007

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News summary

Staged increase of 2.5 pc for NHS pharmacy staff

Pharmacy staff working for the NHS will receive a 2.5 per cent staged pay increase this year, with 1.5 per cent paid from 1 April and the balance from 1 November. The news was greeted with enthusiasm by the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists.

Health secretary Patricia Hewitt said last week: “These are sensible increases, fair for staff, consistent with the Government’s inflation target and affordable for the NHS. We are therefore accepting the recommendations of the NHS pay review bodies, but have decided to stage the increase in line with the consistent approach across Government to the workforce covered by the pay review bodies.”

The pay increase applies to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants working for the NHS across the UK.

National recruitment and retention premia (RRP) for pharmacists have once again not been awarded, but the pay review body says it believes the case for a national RRP warrants further investigation. It has asked the relevant parties to “consider jointly undertaking further research and to involve our secretariat”.

David Miller, chairman of the guild’s terms and conditions committee, told The Journal that the guild will be assisting in this further research, ideally with local members providing the information via their regional representatives. The guild has been calling for national RRP for pharmacists for the past two years (PJ, 10 December 2005, p711 and 4 November 2006, p536).

Meanwhile, the guild’s proposals to lift the ceiling on unsocial hours payments are out for consultation and agreement by the unions. The initial proposals under Agenda for Change, which are the current interim system for pharmacists who do not have a local or national agreement, have a ceiling at the top of band 6. “The guild, with Amicus support, has in the proposal removed the ceiling from the top of band 6 so all staff get paid a percentage of their actual banding for working unsocial hours,” said Mr Miller.

“Despite the overall poor news, with the pay review body recommended pay award of 2.5 per cent being staged, there is some good news for pharmacists in the managed sector. The pay review body has agreed that the case for recruitment and retention premia warrants proper investigation which, combined with the proposals made to lift the ceiling for unsocial hours payments, are an element of progress for pharmacists at a national level,” he added.