Nurses' pay has fallen £8,000 behind inflation since 2010, leaving healthcare workers struggling with the cost of living crisis. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) revealed that wages have been "severely eroded" over more than a decade, with junior staff bearing the brunt of the decline.
The damning analysis comes as tens of thousands of nursing staff cast their votes in the RCN's consultation on this year's pay award. The timing is particularly significant as resident doctors have already announced strike action for later this month, highlighting growing unrest across the NHS workforce.
Government faces recruitment crisis
The RCN warned that "collapsing" wages for new nurses must become a Government priority if ministers want to boost recruitment and deliver their ambitious 10 Year Health Plan. The union argues that poor pay is directly undermining efforts to address chronic staffing shortages across the health service.
Patricia Marquis, executive director for RCN England, said nursing staff are "tired of playing constant financial catch-up, often struggling to pay rent or get on the housing ladder". She described nursing as "an incredible profession" but highlighted how nurses are "weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scales".
Strike action looms large
The union received one of the lowest pay awards this year, a situation Marquis said is "deepening the workforce crisis and impacting patient care". She emphasised that attracting and keeping talented people should be the Government's priority, but this requires better action on nursing pay.
Marquis revealed that RCN members are "voting in their tens of thousands and making their voices heard on this pay award". She called on ministers to recognise that the only sensible choice is to negotiate directly with the largest healthcare workforce in the country.
The union leader demanded that the Government must "deliver better pay and pay modernisation for nursing staff" to address the mounting crisis in NHS recruitment and retention.
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
