Hundreds of healthcare assistants at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust are celebrating today (Wednesday) as long-awaited back pay worth up to £5,500 finally lands in their pay packets, says UNISON.
The payments mark a major victory for staff and the end of a determined, years-long campaign to secure fair recognition for the vital clinical duties healthcare assistants have carried out day in, day out.
For years, staff routinely performed tasks such as taking blood, carrying out tests and inserting cannulas – responsibilities that should have been paid at a higher rate.
In 2024, following sustained pressure from UNISON, the trust accepted that healthcare assistants had been working above their grade and moved them to a higher salary band on the NHS Agenda for Change pay scale.
But the level of back pay owed remained unresolved for months.
A deal finally reached in September 2025 was then held up while the trust sought additional approval from NHS England – a delay that left many staff disappointed when the money didn’t arrive in time for Christmas.
Now, with today’s pay packet, healthcare assistants will at last receive the money they are owed, drawing a line under the dispute.
The payments also mark the successful conclusion of UNISON’s Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign across the north east.
Seven health trusts in the region have now re-banded their healthcare assistants, securing fair pay for thousands of predominantly female, low‑paid staff who have kept hospital services going under immense pressure.
UNISON Northern regional secretary Clare Williams said: “At long last, hardworking healthcare assistants are receiving the recognition and compensation they deserve.
“These dedicated staff have gone above and beyond for years, delivering vital clinical care without the proper reward.
“It should never have taken this long, and no one should have been forced to wait for money they were rightfully owed. But today brings long‑awaited justice, marking a fitting and deserved end to a major regional campaign.
“Healthcare assistants across the north east can now continue caring for patients knowing that their vital contribution is finally valued.”
Notes to editors:
– Today’s payments will be worth up to £5,500 depending on the healthcare assistants’ length of service for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. They are employed at Darlington Memorial Hospital, University Hospital of North Durham, Bishop Auckland Hospital, Chester-le-Street Community Hospital, Shotley Bridge Community Hospital, Sedgefield Community Hospital, Richardson Hospital, Weardale Hospital and Peterlee Community Hospital.
– The other six trusts that have completed their re-banding campaign are Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.
– UNISON has won more than £250m in back pay and salary increases for healthcare assistants and other support workers through its Pay Fair for Patient Care campaign. More information is available here.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
