1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024
Gender Pay Gap Data Report 2023/24 (233kB pdf)
Introduction
This report sets out the 2023/24 annual workforce data in relation to the gender pay gap, which the trust is required to publish as per Schedule 2 of the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017. The data in this report is taken on 31 March 2024 (snapshot date).
The purpose of the gender pay gap is to show any difference between the hourly wage of male and female employees. The figure is affected by how many females are at a given grade/band and their position on the pay scale. It shows the difference in the average pay between male and female employees.
Gender pay gap is not the same as equal pay. Equal pay looks at the difference in pay of men and women doing the same or similar job, or a job of equal value.
Monitoring of the workforce equalities data from a race (WRES), disability (WDES) and gender (GPG) perspective is central to ensuring that we are delivering on our equality, diversity and inclusion priorities:
- We will ensure our current employees and future talent have fair opportunities and access to jobs and career progression resulting in improved representation of diverse groups at all levels of the organisation, including Board.
- We will educate and develop our leaders and staff to improve understanding of racism, discrimination and cultural competence to deliver a step change in the experience of our staff and patients.
Gender Pay Gap data
Female representation in the NWAS workforce has consistently continued to increase over a number of years. As of 31 March 2024, 53.13% of staff were female (52.14% in 2023, 51.60% in 2022). Additionally, the majority of the workforce (55.43%) in the Operations directorate were female, and women account for half of all staff across the corporate directorates.
2024 gender split by quartile
The table below shows that female representation has fallen in both lower quartiles for the first time, while increasing in both upper quartiles. The most significant increase was in the upper quartile, where female representation now stands at 44.06% – an increase of 5% on the previous year.
There continue to be more women than men in the two lower quartiles, and a majority of staff (albeit by a smaller margin) in the upper middle quartile are female.
| Quartile | Female | Male |
| Lower pay quartile | 57.63% (58.78%, 2023) | 42.37% (41.22%, 2023) |
| Lower middle quartile | 60.29% (60.63%, 2023) | 39.71% (39.37%, 2023) |
| Upper middle quartile | 50.54% (50.11%, 2023) | 49.46% (49.89%, 2023) |
| Upper quartile | 44.06% (39.05%, 2023) | 55.94% (60.95%, 2023) |
Historic gender split by quartile for comparison
| Quartile | 2018 F | 2018 M | 2019 F | 2019 M | 2020 F | 2020 M | 2021 F | 2021 M | 2022 F | 2022 M |
| LQ | 51.8% | 48.2% | 54.85% | 45.15% | 55.26% | 44.74% | 60.95% | 39.05% | 55.1% | 44.9% |
| LMQ | 50.4% | 49.6% | 51.15% | 48.85% | 53.65% | 46.35% | 56.04% | 43.96% | 58.5% | 41.5% |
| UMQ | 46.8% | 53.2% | 47.13% | 52.87% | 46.81% | 53.19% | 47.43% | 52.57% | 49.4% | 50.6% |
| UQ | 33.5% | 66.5% | 34.18% | 65.82% | 36.74% | 63.26% | 37.23% | 62.77% | 37.8% | 62.2% |
2024 hourly pay gap
The hourly mean/average pay gap has continued to narrow and is now at 7.27%. While still a significant gap, it is an improvement of 3.5% on last year’s figure and is reflective of the improvement in representation in the upper quartile of pay. This is also the lowest average figure since we started reporting.
On the other hand, the median hourly gap has increased to 11.17%. In contrast to the average gap, this figure represents the largest gap since reporting started. While the reasons for this require further investigation, a key factor may be the levels of representation in different quartiles of pay. For example, proportionately more female staff are represented in the two lower quartiles of pay, therefore the median figure will be in the lower middle quartile. Whereas less than 50% of men are in the lower quartiles, therefore the median for males will be in the Upper middle quartile. Another factor could be longevity of service, which on average will be higher for men, and they are therefore more likely to be paid at the top of their pay band.
| Gender | Average Hourly Rate | Median Hourly Rate |
| Male | £19.14 | £18.12 |
| Female | £17.75 | £16.09 |
| Difference | £1.39 | £2.02 |
| Pay Gap % | 7.27% | 11.17% |
Historic hourly pay gap for comparison
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
| Average hourly pay gap | 8.79% | 10.89% | 9.80% | 10.77% |
| Median hourly pay gap | 7.2% | 9.26% | 8.66% | 10.54% |
Bonus Pay
Bonus pay includes any rewards related to:
- profit sharing
- productivity
- performance
- incentive
- commission
- long service awards with a monetary value (cash, vouchers or securities
For 2024, based on the above criteria, no bonus payments were made this year.
Trust-wide actions
The trust applies the national NHS terms, conditions of service, and uses the national job evaluation system to determine job bandings. These systems have been equality impact assessed and are jointly reviewed by trade unions and managers in partnership at a national level. We believe these systems provide a non-discriminatory set of conditions which meet the requirements of equal pay for work of equal value. We remain committed to working to close the gender pay gap through improvements in representation in the upper quartiles of pay.
To support the progression of women within the organisation into the higher pay quartiles, we will continue to focus on improving the inclusiveness of our recruitment processes, facilitate fair, equal career progression opportunities, and enhance flexible working arrangements.
We will continue to increase awareness of our gender pay gap, and what impacts it.
Through the introduction of the Developing Leaders programme launching in mid-2024, we aim to support more female staff into leadership roles by providing them with the skills and knowledge to progress in the careers.