More than 1.4 million NHS workers to receive 3.3% pay rise from April
Unison's head of health Helga Pile said: "Hard-pressed NHS staff will be downright angry at another below-inflation pay award"
More than 1.4 million NHS workers will receive a 3.3% pay rise from April, the Government has announced.
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The pay rise comes after strike action by resident doctors brought hospitals to a stand-still in the run-up to Christmas.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the uplift was above the Office for Budget Responsibility's forecast inflation of 2.2% for 2026-27, delivering a "real terms pay rise" for NHS staff.
But health unions criticised the increase. Unison's head of health Helga Pile said: "Hard-pressed NHS staff will be downright angry at another below-inflation pay award."
Mathew Hulbert, Patient Leader at campaign group Just Treatment: "Any pay rise for the hard working, dedicated staff of our NHS is to be welcomed but has to be set against the years of real-terms cuts they've had to endure, especially under the last government.
"From a patient perspective, what I also want to see is a significant investment in the NHS from the current administration, as we still lag behind the European average on health spending.
"And I stress again that the NHS crisis won't be fixed until the social care crisis is fixed and Labour have put action on that into the long grass."
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Mr Streeting slammed the strikes at the time as "self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous".
He warned of "fatal harm" to patients.
Nearly half of the medical workforce in England stopped work and did not return for five days.
This coincided with Britain grappling with the “worst flu outbreak” ever recorded in the UK.
Mr Streeting said the increase will be in pay packets from April for the first time in six years.
"We have listened to the workforce and understand the difficulties they face when pay awards are not delivered on time.
"That's why this Government committed to speeding up the pay review process, remitting the Pay Review Bodies months earlier than previous years, and submitting written evidence earlier too.
"In making this award, I am accepting in full the recommendation from the NHS Pay Review Body."