The government should make additional payments worth ‘several thousand pounds’ on top of salaries to prevent nursing staff leaving the NHS and tackle an ‘ever-worsening’ workforce crisis, the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ (RCN) says today [Friday 23 February].
The sum, which must come in addition to a ‘substantial’ above-inflation pay rise for NHS workers, should go to nursing professionals across all areas and specialties to encourage them to stay working in the service and attract more nurses into the NHS.
The RCN makes its demands as part of the union’s formal submission to the NHS Pay Review Body, which is tasked with making recommendations to the government on wage rises for this year. The union did not participate in the annual process last year during industrial action by nursing staff.
It comes as a new RCN survey of thousands of frontline nursing staff reveals almost half of those working in the NHS are actively planning or considering leaving their job. Without the additional payment, the RCN warns scores more staff could leave, further limiting the ability of nursing staff to provide safe and effective care.
Across the NHS in England, over 42,000 posts are vacant and record numbers continue to quit nursing amidst a backdrop of low pay, poor working conditions and chronic understaffing. The RCN says the salary ‘top-up’ must be implemented as a matter of ‘urgency and priority’ to stop thousands more nursing staff walking away.
There are currently over six million patients waiting to receive treatment on the NHS in England which, excluding the initial months of the pandemic, is a record high. The RCN warns these lists could grow further if more nursing staff quit, undermining the government’s ambitions to both cut waiting times and retain more nursing staff in the workforce.
Last week, university admissions service UCAS announced a 26% drop in applications to study nursing in England across a two-year period and the College has called on the government to use next month’s Budget to introduce emergency support for nurse students.
Despite being a highly skilled, degree-educated, safety-critical profession, the outdated Agenda for Change (AfC) pay structure means a large proportion of nurses are stuck at Band 5, the lowest pay band for a registered nurse on which they start and end their nursing careers.
The RCN is calling on the PRB to recommend measures including automatic progression from band 5 to band 6 that is already available to other NHS workers, to create better long-term career prospects for the nursing workforce.
In its formal submission, the RCN confirms it is in dispute with government, paving the way for potential action this year. It follows recent research conducted by the union which demonstrated a strong appetite amongst members to take industrial action if required.
Professor Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, says:
“The crisis in the nursing workforce deepens each day as thousands of experienced staff decide to leave the NHS, fed up with being undervalued and underpaid. When nursing professionals with the greatest clinical experience leave the profession, patient care ultimately suffers.
“An additional top-up payment worth several thousand pounds would recognise the crisis gripping the nursing workforce. It is a quick and effective measure that can alleviate some of the dissatisfaction with pay, terms and conditions felt by staff after years of neglect. The policy is a no-brainer for ministers.
“The lesson for the government and politicians everywhere is that failing to deliver pay justice for nursing staff has consequences. Only decisive action can now help stem the loss of staff and protect patients.”
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