NHS staff in Scotland are set to get a pay rise from April following agreement from unions.

160,000 NHS staff, including nurses, midwives, paramedics, allied health professionals, porters and others, will receive an average 6.5 per cent increase in pay in 2023-24.

All staff will also receive a one-off pro rata payment of between £387 and £939 depending on banding.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “I am very pleased that the Agenda for Change trade unions have unanimously agreed to accept this pay offer, meaning staff will start seeing the benefits of this deal in their April pay packets.

“This £568 million deal that will ensure NHS Agenda for Change staff remain, by far and away, the best paid anywhere in the UK. We are also committed to delivering the most progressive package of terms and conditions reform in decades.

“Our healthcare staff have shown how dedicated and hardworking they are time and again and I cannot thank them enough for their commitment, particularly over the last few challenging years. Our staff are the very backbone of the NHS and we are committed to supporting them, particularly during a cost of living crisis.

“I am grateful for the continued efforts to keep discussions going to reach this deal and that this has been able to be processed in time to get the money to staff so quickly.”