Overview
- County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said HM Treasury has approved the dispute settlement, with payments anticipated in February subject to finalisation.
- Up to 900 healthcare support workers across nine hospitals are due one‑off back pay of up to £5,500 each, calculated by length of service.
- UNISON welcomed the move, noting the predominantly low‑paid, largely female workforce has carried out vital care tasks and Band 3‑level clinical duties for years.
- Payments originally expected in November were delayed after a leadership change and the need for NHS England approval, which left some staff in financial distress before Christmas.
- MPs Mary Foy and Liz Twist said they were pleased the dispute is resolved and urged the trust to ensure such governance failures do not recur.