More than one million NHS staff to get pay rise as health unions back new offer

As well as a 5% pay rise, NHS staff including ambulance workers, nurses, physios and porters will also get a one-off sum of at least £1,655. The pay deal was first proposed in March and has now been signed off at a meeting between the government and the 14 health unions representing all NHS staff apart from doctors and dentists.

Unison head of health Sara Gorton, who chairs the joint NHS union group, said: "NHS workers will now want the pay rise they've voted to accept. The hope is that the one-off payment and salary increase will be in June's pay packets. Proper pay talks last autumn could have stopped health workers missing out on money they could ill afford to lose. The NHS and patients would also have been spared months of disruption."

Despite some of the unions rejecting the offer, the deal was agreed after a majority backed it due to the support of some of the biggest unions in the NHS, such as Unison, the GMB and those representing physios and midwives. All staff will now receive the extra pay, possibly as early as June.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and two other NHS unions are still threatening more strikes. To hold more strikes the RCN needs to carry out another ballot of its members.