The Royal College of Nursing has today (Thursday 8 August) launched a consultation of its members seeking views on the latest NHS pay award for nursing staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts in England.
Last week the UK government accepted the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB), awarding a 5.5% consolidated pay increase across all bands, effective from 1 April 2024.
The UK government also accepted PRB recommendations to introduce intermediate pay points for Bands 8 and above, and to issue a funded mandate for the NHS Staff Council to begin resolving outstanding concerns within the AfC pay structure.
The RCN is consulting all members working in England’s NHS employed on AfC terms and conditions and members working in NHS commissioned and funded services who are employed on AfC-aligned terms and conditions or employed on dynamic AfC terms and conditions, following a transfer of their employment. RCN members will be asked if they accept or reject the government’s pay award.
Eligible members have until noon on 16 September to cast their vote. The result will help determine what the RCN does next to ensure nursing staff, wherever they work, are properly rewarded for their safety-critical work.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:
“When it comes to pay in the NHS, all professional groups deserve a clear route to fair pay restoration – starting to make up for a very serious loss of earnings in the last 15 years. Stagnant salaries at a time of spiralling prices forced too many to leave and deterred others from joining.
“We do not begrudge doctors their pay rise. We work together closely, in the interests of our patients. What we ask for is the same fair treatment from government.
“Our members will vote on whether they see this award as enough of a start on our journey. When the full details are released, it must show that the funding is being made available to the NHS and all employers who deliver NHS services.
“Nurses are the ever-present, safety critical workforce across the whole of health and care. Our wages do not reflect that and still won’t after this award. We will be pushing government to show us their plans for improving NHS pay – it is vital to recruit and retain nursing staff, fill tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs and give people the care they deserve.”
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