Livewell Southwest, UNISON and fellow trade unions have announced a pay uplift for over 100 healthcare assistants.
Healthcare assistants working for Livewell Southwest provide valuable health and social care services across Plymouth and parts of Devon.
Livewell has worked closely with trade unions to undertake a comprehensive review of the roles of its band 2 healthcare assistants to ensure that their job descriptions and pay banding accurately reflected the roles that they were undertaking.
The starting position was that band 2 healthcare assistants carry out duties which largely incorporate personal care tasks, whereas the duties of band 3 healthcare assistants also include clinical duties and patient observations.
As a result of this review, with effect from October 2022, over 100 healthcare assistants were re-banded from band 2 to band 3 resulting in pay rises for all impacted staff. For those that were at the top of band 2 this resulted in a pay rise of £1,859 per year. These changes also included re-banding and a pay increase for staff working bank shifts.
A one-off discretionary payment was also agreed for current employees affected by this change. Full time members of staff with over four years’ service will receive up to £4,000, those with two to four years’ service will receive up to £3,000 and those with less than two years’ service will receive up to £2,000 (pro-rated for those working part-time) less the normal deductions.
It was also agreed that this one-off discretionary payment will also be paid to those colleagues who were in an affected Healthcare Assistant role prior to 1 October 2022 and have left this role for a different role within Livewell Southwest, in recognition of their continued commitment to delivering health and social care services to our users of our services.
This has been achieved through constructive dialogue between Livewell and trade unions, demonstrating the value of having effective partnership working arrangements.
Dawn Slater, Livewell Southwest Director of People and Professionalism / Executive Lead Nurse said:
“Over the last 5 months we have been working in partnership with our Trade Union colleagues to find a resolution to ensure that our Health Care Assistants receive the right pay since the changes were brought in and I am very pleased we have been able to agree this. Healthcare assistants are a fundamental and pivotal part of our workforce and it is fantastic for them to be recognised for the amazing work that they do.”
Dave Dodd, UNISON representative and Joint Trade Union Forum Chair said:
“Many of these staff worked through the pandemic, performing vital care and clinical support to patients. It was only right that their pay should be corrected to take account of the highly skilled clinical duties they have been carrying out.
“I’m pleased that Livewell Southwest have worked collaboratively with all the unions to ensure healthcare assistants and other clinical support workers are recognised and rewarded fully.”
