Ministers must give nursing an immediate, substantial pay rise, the Royal College of Nursing says, as a new poll shows a sharp rise in public support in England for nursing taking industrial action.
Nursing staff have been waiting over three months for a pay award, as the College warns many cannot afford to keep waiting. The RCN is calling for the pay award to be made before the House of Commons rises for summer recess later this month.
With frustration growing at the UK Government’s obstinate refusal to acknowledge the full impact of the cost-of-living crisis, a wide cross-section of professions are considering strike action.
Now an RCN poll shows in just a few weeks, public support for nursing staff taking industrial action in their fight for fair pay has risen sharply to almost half.
In May, around the time the UK saw a rise in discontent over pay, 42% of the respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘quite’ likely to support nurses taking industrial action over their pay.
That figure has now risen to almost half (49%) amid the prospect of yet another below-inflation pay rise across multiple sectors, including nursing where ministers have suggested a 2% to 3% award.
The RCN says the public mood echoes the mood within the present nursing profession.
With the next NHS pay award three months beyond the start of the financial year already, it is imploring the new Health Secretary to announce a significant and restorative pay rise without further delay.
In its formal evidence to the PRB, the RCN has set out the case for that pay award to be 5% above the level of inflation (RPI).
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:
“Lack of staff is putting patient care at risk. The pressure on nursing is unrelenting and now soaring inflation means staff are struggling to pay the bills and going to food banks.
“They are leaving the profession in their droves – the incredible financial hardship they face is proving the final straw. After a decade of pay cuts by government, nursing cannot afford to wait any more.
“Nursing is a highly-skilled profession and must be recognised as such – investing in the profession must start with fair pay.
“No nurse ever wants to take industrial action but nothing is off the table for our members. Nursing staff may feel they have no other choice to protect patient safety.”
The YouGov poll also shows:
- Four out of five people (86%) in England support a pay rise for nursing – with nearly two thirds of those favouring an increase of 5% or above (62%).
- Nearly eight in 10 (79%) people think there are too few nurses currently working in the NHS in England.
- Over a quarter (26%) of people in England are not confident that they or a loved one would receive a good standard of care from the NHS – including a quarter (25%) of those who voted for the current government. The most commonly cited reasons for this lack of confidence being waiting times (62%) and nurse staffing levels (52%).
- Over half of respondents (56%) say training more nurses should be a top priority for the NHS in England when presented with a list of competing priorities. This contrasts to only a sixth who said investing in new medical equipment (16%) or building new hospitals (15%) should be a top priority.
Notes to editors:
Research carried out by YouGov for the Royal College of Nursing shows:
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,488 adults in England. Fieldwork was undertaken between 23rd - 24th June 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all adults in England (aged 18+).
The previous RCN poll referenced for comparison was also conducted by YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,504 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 30th April - 2nd May 2022. The survey was carried out online. The figures were weighted and are representative of all adults in England (aged 18+).
Latest data from the NMC shows there has been an increase in the number of nurses leaving the register with 25,000 leaving in the last year. This is an increase of 13% on the previous year and the first time the number of leavers has increased after 4 years of a decline in leavers.
Research carried out by the RCN in early 2021 showed that if nursing staff were given a 10% pay rise, the UK government would get back 81% of the cost in more effective recruitment, additional tax paid by staff and fewer written-off student loans.
According to the latest official figures, inflation (RPI) is now more than 11.7% and set to rise further later this year when energy prices rise again.
In its submission to the NHS Pay Review Body in March, the government recommended a pay award this year of 2% to 3%.
For more information, contact the RCN press office at 020 7647 3633 or email mediateamhq@rcn.org.uk.
