‘Seismic shift’ in nurse pay urgently needed, union says
Posted 30 January 2024 - 16:43
RCN head says nurses should never have to ‘finish your nursing career on the same salary band as you started’ as the government consults on pay spine for non-Agenda for Change staff
A ‘seismic shift’ is needed for the nursing profession to ensure nurses do not finish their career on the same pay band they started on, a nursing union has said.
In a message to members calling for feedback on a government consultation on a pay spine for nurses separate from Agenda for Change (AfC), the RCN called for the ‘biggest public and political conversation about the value of nursing’.
Feedback from members will help inform the college’s response to the consultation, which closes in April.
Nurses should never be ‘forced to move away from delivering clinical care’
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the current pay scale for NHS nursing staff is nearly 20 years old and fails to reflect the skills of the profession today.
‘It should never be the case that to get on in your nursing career you are forced to move away from delivering clinical care,’ she added.
‘It should never be the case that you finish your nursing career on the same salary band as you started. You should never amass decades of experience but see no recognition of it in your salary.’
Career pathway for nursing must be ‘smashed wide open’
Ms Cullen warned that the government’s delay to the 2024-25 pay process has left nurses feeling ‘disrespected and with little assurance change will come’ after nursing staff received the lowest pay rise in the public sector last year.
She said: ‘I want the career pathway for nursing to be smashed wide open. Whether you take on management roles or not, your knowledge and excellence as a nursing professional has to be recognised.
‘Nursing staff are safety critical. Services should not run without us. But today’s poor understanding of our value leaves a record number of jobs unfilled. Investment in nursing is investment in our population’s health.
‘Nursing is not a calling. Or a vocation. Or “women’s work”. We are a profession, we are experts, we are leaders. There is an art and a science to what we do. Nursing needs a seismic shift and a new place in healthcare.’
Consultation on separate pay scale divides opinion
The government launched a 12-week consultation on a separate nursing pay scale in January to explore its ‘risks and benefits’. While the RCN has been pushing for this since it entered pay negotiations with the government last year, other unions have warned against it, saying it could pit staff groups against each other.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been contacted for comment.
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