So for anybody wondering what the (almost whispered) “out of existing budgets” after the “NHS staff to get a pay rise of 3%” headline means, I’ll try to explain. Hospitals, community, mental Heath providers and GP surgeries get funding from the NHS for providing services 1/4 The “out of existing budgets” means that all of those organisations will not get any increase in their funding to pay for the pay rise. Given that staff costs account for a very large proportion of any providers costs, 3% increases will result in a big hike in their spend 2/4