NHS staff including nurses, paramedics, consultants, and dentists in England will receive a 3% pay rise backdated to April, after the government accepted the recommendations of the pay review body, the Department of Health and Social Care has announced.

The 3% pay increase for NHS staff in England comes after a day of confusion ended with an announcement that the Government had accepted recommendations from the pay review body.

An expected Commons statement at lunchtime failed to materialise, but a few hours later the Department for Health and Social Care issued a press release saying a 3% rise will be paid, backdated to April when the increase was due.

It will be paid to staff including nurses, paramedics, consultants, dentists and salaried GPs.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “NHS staff are rightly receiving a pay rise this year despite the wider public sector pay pause, in recognition of their extraordinary efforts.

“We asked the independent pay review bodies for their recommendations and I’m pleased to accept them in full, with a 3% pay rise for all staff in scope, from doctors and nurses to paramedics and porters.

“We will back the NHS as we focus our efforts on getting through this pandemic and tackling the backlog of other health problems that has built up. I will continue to do everything I can to support all those in our health service who are working so tirelessly to care for patients.”

Minister for care Helen Whately said: “I am determined to make the NHS the best place to work for all our staff and we continue to invest in recruitment and retention with over 45,300 more staff in the NHS now compared to a year ago, including nearly 9,000 more nurses and over 4,000 more doctors.

“Our NHS staff have worked incredibly hard to fight the pandemic for over 18 months and I’m glad to confirm we are accepting the pay review body’s recommendations in full this year, so staff in their remit will receive a 3% pay rise.”

Unison said it was pleased the Government had moved from its initial recommendation of a 1% pay rise, but added that staff deserved more.