Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve working conditions including pay for those in the mental health sector.

We are committed to making the National Health Service the best place to work by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals, including those working in the mental health sector. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out how we will deliver this change by making sure that staff are better treated, have more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future.

We are taking a number of steps to improve working conditions for NHS staff including the development of a new set of staff standards for modern employment. The standards will focus on the areas that we know matter the most to staff, including: supporting line management; improving staff health and wellbeing; promoting flexible working; violence prevention and reduction; and tackling racism and sexual safety.

On 5 February we received the NHS Pay Review Body report and on 12 February we accepted their independent recommendation for a 3.3% consolidated headline pay award for 2026/27. For the first time in six years, this pay increase for NHS Agenda for Change staff will be in April pay packets, demonstrating our commitment to getting money to NHS staff earlier than in previous years.

Additionally, on 17 March, we received the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration’s report and on 20 March accepted their independent recommendations for a headline pay increase of 3.5% for doctors and 3.75% increase to the pay element of high-street dental contracts and community dental service dentists.