Hospital trust is UK-first with Living Wage status

September 5, 2018

Featured in Express and Star

A minimum hourly wage of £8.75 has been set at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust as it is accredited as a Living Wage Employer.

The Trust’s Living Wage commitment will see everyone working across the Trust receive a minimum hourly wage of £8.75 – a higher amount than the government minimum for over 25s, which currently stands at £7.83 per hour.

Trust chief executive Toby Lewis said: “It’s great news that we’ve got accreditation now as a living wage employer, I think we’re one of the first NHS organisations in the country, and certainly in the West Midlands to achieve that.

“This organisation is values-based, and part of that is about tackling poverty pay. For the lowest paid people who work in our organisation, and do a fantastic job, the living wage is a really important thing and this organisation stands absolutely committed to maintaining our living wage position and hopefully encouraging other public sector bodies locally to tackle poverty pay in our communities.”