More than 27,000 healthcare workers are set to receive two one-off payments worth up to £3,000, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has said.
The payments – worth at least £1,665 – will benefit community nurses, sexual health workers, speech-and-language therapists, physiotherapists, and other frontline workers at non-NHS organisations.
The DHSC said the payments will recognise the vital role of healthcare workers at social enterprises, charities, private providers and local authorities.
Last year, more than one million NHS staff received two one-off payments alongside a 5% pay rise.
However, these payments only applied to those directly employed by NHS organisations.
Forming part of the wider NHS pay deal, the DHSC said that one of the new payments was specifically intended to recognise the efforts healthcare workers had made to cut waiting lists.
Health and Social Care Secretary Victoria Atkins said: “I hugely value the hard work of all our healthcare staff, and those working in non-NHS organisations offer vital support to patients.
“I want to ensure that eligible staff receive these payments, which is why we chose to deliver this funding and why we have taken the decision to relax the financial eligibility criteria employers must meet.
“It will ensure that hardworking staff and the organisations they work for can fully benefit from the NHS pay deal.”
Responding to DHSC’s announcement about one-off payments for more healthcare workers, RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said it was “a huge leap forward”.
“They deliver NHS care and deserve the same treatment,” she said.
“We will ask for assurance that the financial amounts are worth the same.
“Nursing staff providing publicly funded care, on whatever contracts, must be paid this award. Waiting for 12 months added insult to injury and the department must learn never to repeat this.”