As Health Secretary, my top priority is delivering a renewed and stronger NHS for the people of Scotland – at the heart of this aim is our hard-working workforce.

Our dedicated staff are the cornerstone of our health service. NHS consultants and specialty doctors are an absolutely critical part of our workforce – I want to ensure all staff feel valued, supported and fairly rewarded in their roles.

Last year Agenda for Change trade unions received a 5.5% pay uplift and have recently, unanimously accepted, a two year pay deal of 4.25% in 2025/26 and 3.75% in 2026/27. This pay agreement will benefit almost 170,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff – including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, and porters. This will see a Band 5 nurse at the top of their grade getting a £1,689 pay uplift in 2025/26.

I was pleased to reach an agreement with consultants in 2024/25 on a 10.5% uplift which equated to a significant investment of £124.9 million in their pay and reward package. This ensured consultant pay remains competitive with other UK nations.

Neil Gray said difficult choices had to be made (Image: PA) As we look to this year’s pay settlement, it has........

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