Healthcare support workers across Wales have won a major victory after years of being underpaid for the vital clinical work they do. Together, members put pressure on their health boards and the Welsh government to fix an injustice that saw thousands of staff stuck on Band 2 pay while regularly carrying out Band 3 duties.
By standing together and speaking out, members have secured a new agreement that moves staff to Band 3 and delivers long-overdue back pay and recognition payments. This is a clear example of what happens when healthcare support workers organise and act collectively – real change for people who make the NHS work every day.
Band 2 healthcare support workers in Wales have long carried out vital clinical work without the pay and recognition to match it. Now, after years of organising and campaigning together, healthcare support staff will finally be recognised and paid at Band 3 for the skilled clinical duties they perform every day under the Agenda for Change pay scales.
UNISON members raised this unfairness together. Thousands of healthcare support workers across Wales shared their experiences and submitted grievances, showing just how essential your work is to safe and effective patient care. Without you, the NHS in Wales simply couldn’t run. Because members spoke up and took action, NHS Wales has now agreed to make things right. UNISON has secured a national agreement that recognises your skills, standardises job descriptions, and ensures you’re rewarded properly for the work you already do.
Healthcare support workers deserve to be:
- Rewarded – You should be paid at the right band for the job and compensated for the work you’ve been doing at band 3.
- Recognised – Without you performing these essential clinical duties, the burden would fall on other overworked colleagues and patient care would suffer.
- Respected – You should be offered high quality training and career development opportunities to help you build your skills and progress within the NHS.
Because healthcare support workers stood together and spoke out, we’ve won an agreement that finally recognises years of work above your band and rewards you properly for the job you do. The new All Wales job descriptions set clear, consistent standards across every setting where HCSWs work, so everyone knows what’s expected and what they should be paid for.
What is included in the agreement
Validation
This is the first step in making sure you’re recognised for the work you actually do. If you’re a Band 2 healthcare support worker carrying out any Band 3 duties, you should be validated. You can use the Band 3 validation tool and read the guidance for staff going through validation. The validation process identifies anyone doing Band 3 work and, where needed, helps put a development plan in place so you can gain any extra clinical skills required.
Movement to the correct band
If you’re doing Band 3 duties, you’ll move to Band 3 pay. This change takes effect from 1 January 2025 (unless you were appointed after this date). If you have less than two years’ experience on 1 January 2025, you’ll move to the entry point of Band 3. If you have two or more years’ experience, you’ll move to the top of Band 3. This ensures your pay finally reflects the skilled work you already do.
Corrective payment
This payment makes sure you’re fairly paid for the work you’ve already done. It covers any back pay owed from 1 January 2025 up to the date you move onto Band 3. Because so many staff across Wales are eligible, the payment will be made as a percentage of your basic pay: 8.75% for anyone with two or more years’ eligible service on 1 January 2025. 1.95% for anyone with less than two years’ eligible service. The corrective payment will be subject to pension, tax and National Insurance deductions.
Recognition payment
This payment recognises the clinical work you and your colleagues have been doing before the re-banding date of 1 January 2025. It’s based on your total length of service in years and months on that date. The table below shows how much you’ll receive. Payments will be pro-rata to your current contracted hours and subject to tax and National Insurance deductions, but they will not be pensionable.
| Starting month | Months in service | Recognition payment |
|---|---|---|
| Before January 2020 | Over 60 | £5,000 |
| February 2020 | 60 | £5,000 |
| March 2020 | 59 | £4,917 |
| April 2020 | 58 | £4,833 |
| May 2020 | 57 | £4,750 |
| June 2020 | 56 | £4,667 |
| July 2020 | 55 | £4,583 |
| August 2020 | 54 | £4,500 |
| September 2020 | 53 | £4,417 |
| October 2020 | 52 | £4,333 |
| November 2020 | 51 | £4,250 |
| December 2020 | 50 | £4,167 |
| January 2021 | 49 | £4,083 |
| February 2021 | 48 | £4,000 |
| March 2021 | 47 | £3,917 |
| April 2021 | 46 | £3,833 |
| May 2021 | 45 | £3,750 |
| June 2021 | 44 | £3,667 |
| July 2021 | 43 | £3,583 |
| August 2021 | 42 | £3,500 |
| September 2021 | 41 | £3,417 |
| October 2021 | 40 | £3,333 |
| November 2021 | 39 | £3,250 |
| December 2021 | 38 | £3,167 |
| January 2022 | 37 | £3,083 |
| February 2022 | 36 | £3,000 |
| March 2022 | 35 | £2,917 |
| April 2022 | 34 | £2,833 |
| May 2022 | 33 | £2,750 |
| June 2022 | 32 | £2,667 |
| July 2022 | 31 | £2,583 |
| August 2022 | 30 | £2,500 |
| September 2022 | 29 | £2,417 |
| October 2022 | 28 | £2,333 |
| November 2022 | 27 | £2,250 |
| December 2022 | 26 | £2,167 |
| January 2023 | 25 | £2,083 |
| February 2023 | 24 | £1,898 |
| March 2023 | 23 | £1,819 |
| April 2023 | 22 | £1,740 |
| May 2023 | 21 | £1,661 |
| June 2023 | 20 | £1,582 |
| July 2023 | 19 | £1,503 |
| August 2023 | 18 | £1,424 |
| September 2023 | 17 | £1,344 |
| October 2023 | 16 | £1,265 |
| November 2023 | 15 | £1,186 |
| December 2023 | 14 | £1,107 |
| January 2024 | 13 | £1,028 |
| February 2024 | 12 | £949 |
| March 2024 | 11 | £870 |
| April 2024 | 10 | £791 |
| May 2024 | 9 | £712 |
| June 2024 | 8 | £633 |
| July 2024 | 7 | £554 |
| August 2024 | 6 | £475 |
| September 2024 | 5 | £395 |
| October 2024 | 4 | £316 |
| November 2024 | 3 | £237 |
| December 2024 | 2 | £158 |
| January 25 | 1 | £79 |
This is a lot to take in. If you have any questions, start by checking our FAQs.
If your question isn’t covered there, just get in touch. This win happened because healthcare support workers stood up together and took action. Some became contacts, reps or workplace leaders, and that collective effort made change possible. If you want to help shape what comes next, get active in your branch.
