Agenda for Change non-pay commitments do not address challenges facing NHS nursing staff

This week, the DHSC, NHS England and the NHS Staff Council published conclusions from the non-pay elements of the 2022/23 and 2023/24 NHS pay awards.  

The conclusions reached do not adequately recognise the changes over recent years to the role of the registered nurse, nor do they address the barriers to nursing career progression, including significant evidence of racial disparity in career progression which the RCN continues to call on the NHS to address more quickly.  

These measures don’t go far enough in setting legal protections for the number of patients registered nurses can be required to care for at any one time. More needs to be done to protect patients with safe nurse staffing levels. 

Without a commitment to go beyond these conclusions, and further investment in these aspirations, the UK government will fall at the first hurdle in reaching the goals these commitments support. 

RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: "The recommendations being shared with ministers and announced this week on non-pay issues agreed as part of the 2023 NHS negotiated settlement do not address the challenges facing nursing staff in the NHS today. The recommendations do nothing to remove barriers to nursing career progression or protect patients with safe staffing levels.

"The RCN believes this was a missed opportunity to reset priorities and again demonstrates that nursing is not valued."  

Read more about the conclusions on the NHS Employers website.