The stunt, which illuminated the Welsh government’s failure to get a grip on growing vacancy figures – which itself refuses to make public – came at a time when RCN members are voting on whether to take strike action in response to the Welsh government’s recent pitiful pay award to health care staff working in the NHS on Agenda for Change contracts.
RCN Wales estimates that the number of registered nurse vacancies in NHS Wales has risen to at least 3,000. That’s over 1,200 more vacancies than last year.
Richard Jones MBE, Chair of the RCN Wales Board said: “We know that not having enough nursing staff can increase mortality rates by up to 26% and we also know that improving nursing pay can aid the recruitment and retention we desperately need. But so far, the Welsh Government’s response to rising vacancies has been to cut nursing pay in real terms, with a so-called ‘pay rise’ amounting to just 72p an hour.
"It is very clear that patient safety may well be at risk and that taking better care of our nurses, including paying them appropriately for the safety-critical work that they do, is a vital step to sustaining the nursing workforce within NHS Wales and ensuring that the people of Wales receive safe and effective care.”
If you would like to read about the state of nursing in Wales, our annual report, Nursing in Numbers 2022
provides further information and a statistical overview of the strengths and vulnerabilities of the nursing workforce in Wales.
Nursing in Numbers 2022 PDF (Eng)
Nursing in Numbers 2022 PDF (Cym)
The RCN’s ballot on strike action is open from 6 October until 2 November 2022.
