Government Approves NHS Staff Pay Raises Following Review Body Recommendations
Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has officially accepted key pay increase recommendations for NHS staff from three review bodies: the NHS Pay Review Body (NHSPRB), the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB), and the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).
The DDRB proposed a 4% salary increase for doctors and dentists starting April 1, 2025, including an additional £750 for doctors and dentists in training. The NHSPRB recommended a 3.6% pay raise for all Agenda for Change staff, along with a funded mandate for pay structure reform. The SSRB advised a 3.25% pay rise for all executive and senior managers in the NHS in England, effective from the same date.
Danny Mortimer, CEO of NHS Employers, welcomed the pay awards. He urged unions to consider the government’s long-term service and workforce plans and encouraged dialogue to address any concerns.
Following the announcement, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, called on the Welsh Government to clarify whether the extra pay increases will receive full funding.
Welsh NHS Sees Improvement in Long Wait Times but Calls for Continued Investment
New data reveals that in Wales, as of March 2025, under 8,400 care pathways have waited more than two years — the lowest since April 2021. The number of patients waiting over eight weeks for diagnostic services fell to around 35,200, the lowest since March 2020. Therapy wait times longer than fourteen weeks also dropped significantly, from nearly 14,000 last year to just over 4,000.
Darren Hughes noted these improvements but stressed the need for a cross-government national strategy focused on health, wellbeing, and inequality reduction. He called for sustained investment in NHS and social care workforce planning, alongside a long-term infrastructure strategy.
NHS Confederation Proposes Clearer Health and Care System Model
The NHS Confederation published a report titled A New Operating Model for Health and Care. The report argues that a simpler, clearer system structure is essential for addressing ongoing financial and operational challenges. It emphasizes defining the purpose and accountability of each part of the NHS across five geographic levels: national, regional, system, place, and neighborhood.
The report highlights how better cooperation and devolved decision-making could help deliver ambitious health reforms outlined in the government’s ten-year plan.
Government Clarifies Junk Food Advertising Rules to Protect Children
Ashley Dalton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Public Health and Prevention, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to limiting junk food advertising on TV and online to protect children’s health. The new rules will exempt brand advertising that does not promote specific unhealthy products.
A Statutory Instrument will legally clarify the rules and delay enforcement until January 5, 2026, though businesses are encouraged to comply from October 1, 2025. Dalton praised industry cooperation and emphasized balancing child health protection with business interests.
NHS England Directs Boards to Reduce Growth in Elective Referrals
NHS England has instructed integrated care boards (ICBs) to sharply reduce the growth in elective referrals. The target for 2025-26 is to limit demand growth to 0.2%, down from a forecasted 1.8%. Glen Burley, NHS financial accountability director, stressed that meeting waiting list targets will require performance improvements without increasing capacity due to budget limits.
This comes after new data showed the waiting list grew for the first time in seven months.
Coroner Blames ‘No Staffing Growth’ Policy in Patient Death
A Birmingham and Solihull coroner ruled that NHS England’s refusal to fund additional staff contributed to the death of a spinal injury patient from a blood clot in November 2024. The trust’s requests for extra staff funding were denied due to national policies and funding shortages. The coroner expressed concern about the trust’s financial support and staffing challenges.
Diagnostic Waits in Herefordshire and Worcestershire Remain Stalled
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust (HWHCT) has contracted Key Performance International Healthcare (KPI:Health) to help reduce very long diagnostic waits. KPI:Health began work in February 2025 and is conducting follow-up reviews for 2,000 ADHD patients, freeing up paediatricians for initial assessments. However, the process will take up to a year, longer than initially expected, and wait times remain unchanged without more funding.
Care Quality Commission Appoints New Chief Inspector of Hospitals
Dr. Toli Onon, joint medical director at Manchester University Foundation Trust and consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, has been appointed as the new chief inspector of hospitals at the Care Quality Commission (CQC). With nearly 35 years in NHS hospitals, Dr. Onon will start the role later this year. She is the third new chief inspector hired under CQC chief executive Sir Julian Hartley.
Flu Vaccine Prevented Thousands of Hospital Admissions Last Winter
Data from the UK Health Security Agency shows the flu vaccine prevented between 96,000 and 120,200 hospital admissions in England during the 2024/25 winter. Vaccine uptake was highest among secondary school children (44.6%) and seniors over 65 (74.9%). However, vaccination rates fell among toddlers, primary school children, and people with long-term health conditions compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Ashley Dalton highlighted the vital role of vaccination in saving lives and reducing pressure on the healthcare system.
Think Tank Proposes ‘Hospital as a Service’ Model
Re:State, a health think tank, released a report titled Hospital of the Future: Hospital as a Service, Not a Building. The report recommends combining virtual care with better system-wide integration. It suggests delivering hospital-level care through new care pathways and digital tools, rather than relocating staff and infrastructure to local communities.
Royal College of Paediatrics Highlights Long Waits for Children’s Community Care
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) reported that over 314,000 children were waiting for essential community health services as of March 2025, a 5% increase from the previous month. The report notes growing disparities between children’s and adults’ wait times. While adult waiting lists fell by 2%, children’s waits rose 11%. Additionally, 21.5% of children have been waiting over 52 weeks, compared to 1.3% of adults.
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