Priory, the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services, has announced a 5% increase in the minimum rate of pay for all permanent staff.
It will mean a rise from £12 to £12.60 per hour, ensuring all permanent colleagues currently earning the equivalent of the Real Living Wage benefit from the uplift.
The uplift came into effect on Tuesday, 1 April and means a minimum annual salary of £24,570 (based on a 37.5-hour week), which is up from £23,400 last year. The organisation has also committed to maintaining pay differentials for more senior roles.
It comes as Priory published its latest gender pay gap report, which highlights continued progress in reducing gender pay disparities.
The report shows a median gender pay gap of 1.7% – down from 3.9% in 2023 – compared to 13.1% nationally, with increased male representation in frontline and support functions and increased female representation in site leadership and consultant roles.
Alongside these developments, Priory continues to expand its focus on ‘care as a career’, with 550 colleagues currently studying for an apprenticeship across more than 40 programmes.
Rebekah Cresswell, chief executive of Priory, said: “Being able to deliver the Real Living Wage as the minimum hourly rate and investing in our people is vitally important to us. It demonstrates recognition and values the critical work our colleagues carry out every day and supports our efforts to recruit and retain people who share our values.
“Despite wider economic challenges, including increased employer costs and rising operational expenses, we remain committed to rewarding our teams and investing in career development throughout the organisation.
“I am also delighted to report a further reduction in the gender pay gap this year – significantly below the national average – which demonstrates our ongoing efforts to ensure fair pay and career progression for all colleagues.”
ENDS
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About Priory and MEDIAN Group
Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.
Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 280 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 26,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 18,000 beds caring for 273,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 10 facilities and 2,000 beds caring for 10,000 people in Spain, with more than 30,000 employees across the group.