EVERY full time NHS staff member and adult social care worker in Scotland is to receive a one-off £500 "thank you payment" for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Details of the bonus were announced by Nicola Sturgeon at the SNP’s annual conference on Monday.
READ MORE: Scottish NHS and adult social care workers to get £500 Covid 'thank you payment'
The Scottish Government have now released more details of who will be eligible and how the payment will be processed.
The pro rata £500 bonus scheme, which will be funded from the Scottish Government's COVID-19 support package, applies to employees employed since March 17.
It will be available to all NHS Employees, including:
- Staff who have been active in the NHS since 17 March 2020 but who have since left NHS employment, including retirees;
- Staff who accepted and worked on temporary contracts since 17 March to aid pandemic response but who have since left NHS employment, including students who worked under temporary contracts but who have since returned to University;
- Staff covered by the Two Tier Agreement
- General Practitioners and their practice teams, including 2C practices.
Staff providing NHS services under independent contractor arrangements will also be eligible, including:
- GP surgery staff;
- NHS Dental surgery staff;
- NHS pharmacy services staff;
- NHS optometry staff.
Staff working in Adult Social Care including:
Care home staff;
- Homecare staff;
- Palliative care/hospice staff;
- Adult Personal Assistants;
- Social care staff in residential child care settings;
- Social Workers (including those working with children and families and in criminal justice)
However, while the Scottish Government can make the payment, they don’t have powers over taxes to make it tax free.
The First Minister has urged the Prime Minister to act.
Sturgeon said the money would be paid in this financial year and it would be separate from any negotiations about pay for the longer term.
The First Minister said: “Back in the spring, at the height of the first wave of COVID, many of us publicly – and often loudly – showed our appreciation for the work our NHS and social care staff were doing.
“The applause was important, but it was never enough. Our appreciation must be shown in a more tangible way.
“We’re in the early stages of negotiating a new pay deal for NHS Agenda for Change staff for 2021/22. The UK Government's public sector pay policy will not make that task easy, but we will do our level best to give NHS staff the pay increase they deserve. However, these negotiations will take time to conclude.
“Those who have worked in our hospitals and care homes - at the sharpest end of the Covid trauma - deserve recognition now.
“So I can announce today that, on behalf of us all, the Scottish Government will give every full time NHS and social care worker £500 as a one-off thank you payment for their extraordinary service in this toughest of years. Those who work part time will get a proportionate share.
“The money will be paid in this financial year and it will be separate from any negotiations about pay for the longer term. There are no strings attached.
“Of course, a payment like this can never come close to expressing our full admiration for those who have cared for us so heroically. But to our health and care workers, it is a demonstration of what we collectively owe you - and a heartfelt thank you for the sacrifices you have made.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel