The offer, if accepted by trade unions, will see an investment of more than £448m in 2024-25 and almost 170,000 NHS Agenda for Change staff will benefit from the pay rise.

Health secretary Neil Gray said: ‘Following weeks of constructive engagement with trade union representatives, I am pleased to have agreed an offer, in recognition of the Pay Review Body recommendations, that will ensure Scotland's nurses and NHS staff have the best pay package in the UK.'

In response, Unison Scotland's lead on NHS pay Matt McLaughlin, pointed out that NHS staff were due a pay rise five months ago, and making them wait for so long is 'deeply unfair'.

He added: 'This delay cannot be repeated at the next pay round. The Scottish government must recognise that dithering on pay directly affects staff morale.'

Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland director, said: ‘Nursing staff are the ever-present, safety-critical workforce across the whole of health and care. Our wages do not reflect this and still won't after today.

‘Fair pay is vital to recruiting and retaining nursing staff, to filling the thousands of vacant nurse jobs and giving people the care they deserve.'