NHS pay rise 2018 explained: Why are wage rates rising? And how much is the increase?

Nearly one million NHS workers are being offered pay increases of between 6.5 per cent and 29 per cent over three years.

The proposed deal, agreed at a meeting between 14 unions and NHS employers, marks the end of the Government's controversial 2010 public sector pay cap.

An NHS pay calculator crashed as hard-pressed workers flooded online to seek what the changes will mean to them, while union leaders hailed the deal as a "start".

Unite national officer for health Sarah Carpenter said: "At long last, after years of pay austerity, there has been a significant recognition that this harsh pay regime imposed on hard working and dedicated NHS staff can no longer be sustained."

Here is everything you need to know about the new NHS pay deal.

What's the deal? How much will salaries rise by?

The deal covers health workers in England so it does not directly affect staff in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - but it is expected to be mirrored there.

Half of NHS workers are at the top of their pay band so will receive a 6.5 per cent increase. The other half will get between 9 and 29 per cent, with midwives and physiotherapists in line for some of the biggest increases.

Hospital caterers, cleaners, porters and other staff on the lowest pay grade would get an immediate pay rise of more than £2,000 this year - an increase of between 11 and 13 per cent.

The proposal is complex but would mean that, from April 1, every NHS worker in England would be paid at least £8.93 an hour, which is 18p above the voluntary living wage of £8.75.

This would take the lowest full-time rate of pay in the NHS to £17,460.

Band One pay would be scrapped by April 2021 and all staff moved to the next pay scale.

The lowest salary in the NHS would then be £18,005.

Over the three years, more than 100,000 of the lowest-paid health workers would be in line for wage increases of between 15 per cent (£2,300) and 17 per cent (£2,600).

Why is it happening?

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said the investment - which will cost the Government £4.2 billion over three years - will help attract and retain the best staff for the NHS.

He said: "To support long-term attraction and recruitment, starting salaries for all our non-medical staff groups will also see increases, which will help to make these roles more attractive for people considering a career in the largest employer in Europe."

Unison's Sara Gorton said the deal came as the NHS was facing a staffing crisis, adding: "It won't solve every problem in the NHS, but would go a long way towards making dedicated health staff feel more valued, lift flagging morale, and help turn the tide on employers' staffing problems.

Royal College of Nursing associate director of employment relations Josie Irwin said: "When there are 40,000 unfilled nurse jobs in England alone, it should begin to make the profession more attractive to nurses of today and tomorrow alike.

"Starting salaries will be higher and current nursing staff will reach the top of their pay bands much faster than before, without changes to their leave entitlement or unsocial hour payments.

"With this agreement, the Government and NHS has acknowledged that the greatest rise in productivity will come from a healthy and motivated workforce."

Does everybody agree with it?

The GMB is the only union to recommend rejection of the deal, saying it fell below the expected increase in inflation.

The union, which represents thousands of ambulance crews, paramedics and other health workers, said it would recommend rejection of the deal because it was a real terms pay cut for the most loyal, longest-serving NHS workers, with RPI inflation forecast to increase by 9.6 per cent over the next three years.

Since 2010, paramedics have lost an average of more than £14,000, midwives £18,000 and staff nurses £14,500 because of the pay cap, said national officer Kevin Brandstatter, adding: "Long-serving, dedicated health service workers have had thousands of pounds swiped from their pay packets since 2010 by the Government's cruel and unnecessary pay cap.

"After all that suffering, is a below inflation pay rise the best they can offer?

"If it is, GMB will have to recommend that our members in NHS and ambulance trusts reject it."

Several Labour backbenchers criticised the deal, with Ruth Smeeth (Stoke-on-Trent North) describing it as a "drop in the ocean", while Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) called on ministers to "apologise to all NHS workers for undervaluing them for so long".

What happens next?

Health unions will now consult with their members over the pay offer, with the results known in June.

If the proposals are accepted, the pay rise should be in people's July wage packets, backdated to April.