NHS Employers and unions in Scotland have agreed a new job description for health visitors that will see them start the role at band 7 on Agenda for Change.
Health visitors in the country will now start on a salary of £33,222, progressing up to £43,471. Currently, health visitors in Scotland and other nations start at band 6, with starting salaries from £28,050.
The move was ratified at a meeting chaired by Royal College of Nursing (RCN) associate director Norman Provan, and the chair of the Scottish Executive Nurse Directors.
Commenting on the agreement, Mr Provan said: ‘Health visitors play a crucial role in supporting parents and children through the early years. The importance of their contribution to the health and wellbeing of our communities needed to be reflected in the pay that these specialist nurses receive. The RCN pushed to have the job re-evaluated and we are pleased that the process confirmed our position – that health visitors deserve more financial recognition for the job that they do. The new job description and banding have been agreed nationally and we are now looking for health boards across Scotland to apply this for their health visitor workforce.’
