Health minister Mabon ap Gwynfor must urgently secure an agreement to fix problems with NHS pay in Wales, health unions have said.

Unions representing nurses, healthcare assistants and porters are calling on the minister to deliver long-promised reforms to Agenda for Change, the pay system covering most NHS staff.

Successive changes of UK health secretary have stalled progress and the Welsh government must now restore momentum, unions say.

The previous Welsh government announced a 3.3 per cent pay award in February, which took effect in April following a pay review body recommendation.

It also committed to reforms to the pay structure, with improvements backdated to April 2026.

But staff are still waiting for an agreement beyond basic pay.

The unions warn the sector's outdated salary structure fails to properly reward skills, experience and additional responsibility, making it harder to recruit and retain staff and putting further pressure on patient care.

The NHS pay review body is a UK advisory body that makes recommendations to ministers, but it does not prevent the Welsh government from negotiating directly with unions.

Most health unions have said they will boycott the future pay review process, saying ministers should instead focus on reaching a negotiated settlement.

The Scottish government already negotiates directly with health unions, with staff there securing a two-year deal with a guarantee that annual pay increases will be at least one percentage point above average inflation.

With the 2027 pay round approaching, unions in Wales are urging ministers to fully-fund structural reform to pay alongside the annual wage increase.

Unison Cymru representative Tanya Bull said: “Fixing NHS pay is unfinished business.

“Health unions in Wales are ready to negotiate directly on both pay reform and the annual increase.

“Mabon ap Gwynfor must set a timetable and commit the funding needed to finish the job.”