Nursing leaders slam proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff, describing it as ‘pitiful and bitterly disappointing’

A massive row has erupted over NHS pay after it was revealed the government is proposing a one per cent rise for exhausted staff in England in 2021-22.

The rise, disclosed in the government’s submission to a pay review body, was dismissed as “pitiful and bitterly disappointing” by the Royal College of Nursing on Thursday.

The submission says: “The government announced a pause in public sector pay rises for all workforces, with an exception for employees with basic full-time equivalent salaries of £24,000 or under and for the NHS.

“In settling the DHSC and NHS budget, the government assumed a headline pay award of 1% for NHS staff. Anything higher would require re-prioritisation ...

“The NHS budget is set for 2019/20 to 2023/24 and this budget includes money for planned workforce growth. This is why, as set out in our remit, there are trade-offs if money above affordability assumptions is spent on pay.”

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said a pay award “as poor as this” would mean only an extra £3.50 per week take home pay for an experienced nurse.

The RCN’s chief executive and general secretary, Dame Donna Kinnair, said: “This is pitiful and bitterly disappointing. The government is dangerously out of touch with nursing staff, NHS workers and the public.”

Read More

Khan launches London mayor re-election bid calling for ‘1945-style recovery’

Chancellor grabbed a pizza after delivering Budget

Protocol move needed to avoid empty food shelves in NI – Lewis