Nursing staff at a major care home provider across England and Scotland have accepted a package of pay measures on offer for 2023/24.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) employed by Four Seasons Health Care have been voting on a proposed pay offer and results announced this week show that of those who voted, 68% were in favour. Almost a third (32%) voted to reject it.
The proposed offer would see those on the national minimum wage – some 43% of the workforce – receiving an increase from £9.50 to £10.42 an hour. This equates to a 9.7% rise.
All other staff were offered a rise of between 5-5.9% and for all those with an annual salary up to £52,000, a one-off, non-consolidated payment of £200 was proposed.
Other measures within the deal included sick pay being paid from day one of any absence, paid at statutory sick pay rate, as well as an additional day of leave for staff with two years’ service and again at five years’ service.
Meanwhile, the provider also proposed an additional day of leave for its staff on the King’s coronation and pledged that those who are work on 8 May would be paid at time and a half.
Non-pay benefits such as a hot meal being provided on every shift, and membership of the Blue Light discount scheme, were also on offer.
Four Seasons Health Care has a network of more than 100 care homes across England and Scotland and employs around 9,000 staff. It prides itself in providing long-term and respite residential and nursing care, intermediate care and palliative care to almost 7,000 people.
The RCN said the decision of its members to accept the offer would be shared with the provider and that details of ‘how and when the increases in pay, annual leave and sick pay will be implemented will follow’.
Four Seasons Health Care was contacted for comment.
