HSJ’s 10 most-read stories of 2023

Thousands excluded from NHS pay rise in ‘two tier system’

After several months of industrial action, the government agreed a pay deal for Agenda for Change staff. However, in May, it emerged tens of thousands of outsourced staff could miss out on the extra money. The Department of Health and Social Care told HSJ funding for extra non-consolidated payments for 2022-23, which were part of the deal and worth £2,000 on average, would only be covered for staff directly employed by NHS organisations. 

What the pay deal means for each band

In March, the government and AfC unions announced they had reached a pay deal. This consisted of a 5 per cent consolidated pay increase for 2023-24, a one-off non-consolidated award of 2 per cent of 2022-23 salary, and an NHS backlog bonus, which would vary by pay band. 

NHS staff could be banned from agency work, says workforce plan

In June, the long-awaited NHS long-term workforce plan was published. Within it was the suggestion to stop substantive NHS staff from picking up work through agencies and instead signing up to trusts’ temporary staffing banks if they wanted to take on extra work. The plan also warned “the NHS has relied too much on temporary staffing”, which was “expensive and offers poor value for money for the taxpayer”.

Revealed: How trust execs resisted concerns over Letby

In August, former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder six others at the Countess of Chester Hospital. Shortly after the verdicts were announced, it was revealed that trust bosses had questioned the integrity and professionalism of doctors who had raised concerns about Letby.

NHSE treats me like ‘a band 7’ says ICB chief

Speaking at the Nuffield Trust’s annual conference in March, Dorset Integrated Care Board chief executive Patricia Miller accused some of the NHS’s most senior leaders of a lack of collaboration with ICB chiefs. She added those leading the new statutory organisations have “a lack of freedom” and “a level of instruction which far exceeds” that imposed on foundation trust bosses. 

9,000 roles will go in delayed NHS England restructure

In a restructuring update issued in May, NHS England revealed around 9,000 roles were to go as it worked through its merger with Health Education England and NHS Digital. It was also revealed that some staff would not find out whether they had a job until the end of the financial year in March 2024, although NHSE stressed the majority of people would know how the restructure affected them by September 2023.

£100m redundancy budget set for NHS England, HEE and NHSD

Sticking with the NHSE merger, HSJ reported in February that there was a redundancy budget of £100m to cover around 1,000 departures and the costs associated with that. At the same time, NHSE also said the restructure would save around £400m per year from 2024-25.

NHSE national director announces immediate departure

NHSE announced in April that interim director of primary care Ursula Montgomery would be leaving with immediate effect as part of the ongoing restructuring. Dr Montgomery had been in the post for just more than a year, after joining NHSE in 2020. 

NHS pension contribution rates cut for the highest earners

In November, the government confirmed changes to contribution rates for the NHS pension scheme, which included cuts in the percentage paid by top earners. Specifically, those earning more than £75,633 per year would see the rate they paid into the retirement saving scheme fall from 13.5 per cent to 12.5 per cent. This change will affect those in band 9 or classified as very senior managers, as well as many of those at the top of band 8. 

Pay deal may lead to band 9s being paid more than senior managers

While the unions were considering the government’s pay deal in March, it emerged the offer may lead to some band 9s being paid more than senior managers. While the government’s pay offer covered AfC staff, those very senior staff have their pay set separately by the Senior Salaries Review Body and have seen their salaries held down in recent years.