Hundreds of Healthcare Support Workers (HCSW) across NHS Forth Valley are set to benefit from an agreement which will see many local nursing support staff upgraded from a Band 2 to a Band 3 and receiving a substantial backdated pay award.

While a national process is underway across NHS Scotland to assess Band 2 HCSW against new national Band 2 and Band 3 Nursing Clinical Support Worker job profiles, staff in NHS Forth Valley who are successfully matched to the new Band 3 profile will also have their additional pay backdated to June 2019 when Unison representatives put forward a case to support the rebanding of 48 local HCSWs.

NHS Forth Valley’s Chief Executive agreed that if the work commenced in Partnership in 2019 looking at Health Care Support Worker roles across NHS Forth Valley was successful, then the backdated pay arrangements would apply to all Healthcare Support Workers who met the criteria of the new Band 3 Nursing Clinical Support Worker profiles. NHS Forth Valley currently employs more than 800 Healthcare Support Workers who support a wide range of services across the organisation including inpatient wards, Emergency Department, Assessment Units, maternity, community and mental health services.

Cathie Cowan, Chief Executive, of NHS Forth Valley, said: “Work was already underway locally to look at the role and rebanding of Healthcare Support Workers who play an important role across the organisation and make a major contribution to the delivery of local services and high-quality patient care.”

“I’m pleased that we have reached an agreement with Unison which will ensure all staff who are matched to the new Nursing Clinical Support Worker role receive around three years of backdated pay. This will help some of our lowest paid staff and recognises the additional duties which many Healthcare Support workers have taken on over the last few years.”

Unison Branch Secretary, NHS Forth Valley, Karren Morrison, said: “We put forward a strong case for the initial evaluation of around 48 Band 2 Healthcare Support Worker jobs and I’m delighted that, as a result of our ongoing negotiations and partnership working, these efforts will not only benefit Unison members, but all Healthcare Support Workers across NHS Forth Valley who have their post successfully re-evaluated.

“While the posts have to go through the formal evaluation process against the new national Nursing Clinical Support Worker profiles, I’m confident that this will result in the vast majority of nursing support staff being successfully rebranded. This not only gives this important group of staff the potential to take home an extra £2000 each year but also provides a substantial lump sum in backdated pay which will make a big difference in these very difficult financial times.”