Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring that all Agenda for Change NHS pay bands are (a) set at and (b) above the real Living Wage as calculated by the Living Wage foundation.

These specific assessments have not been made.

Following acceptance of the NHS Pay Review Body recommendations on pay for 2026/27, Agenda for Change (AfC) entry pay will remain above the National Living Wage for 2026/27. In addition, we have committed to providing the NHS Staff Council with a funded mandate to reform the AfC pay structure. We expect these talks will begin shortly.

Individual organisations remain free to decide whether they wish to commit to being a Real Living Wage employer at a local level.