Latest news with #RCN
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Nurse pay 'lagging behind' rest of public sector in Wales
Pay for nurses in Wales is at a "standstill" and "lagging behind" other public sector workers, according to a have been offered a 3.6% pay rise for this financial year, below the offer for other NHS staff including doctors and dentists. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales has asked whether "downtrodden" nurses "have got the fight in them" to go back on Welsh government said it had accepted the recommendations made by the independent NHS pay review body in full and was working to ensure staff receive the pay increase and back pay "as soon as possible". Announcing the pay offer, Wales' Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said nurses provided "exceptional care", adding their services were "truly appreciated".The minister accepted the advice of the NHS pay review body, including a 4% pay increase for doctors and dentists, and what has been described as an average rise of 5.4% for resident doctors, until recently known as junior to BBC Walescast, Nicky Hughes, RCN Wales' associate director of nursing, said the Welsh government should "respect all professions and provide equal pay or at least parity across all the public sectors". "Yet for the second year in a row we find that lagging behind and that really shows a complete disrespect for the profession."With the rise in everyday prices currently running at 3.5%, Ms Hughes said the 3.6% award for nurses was "about on inflation". She added the cost of living crisis, particularly for food, was also an issue. "We know that nurses are using food banks so, at the moment, what we're saying is, nurses deserve more." Ms Hughes also pointed to the 2,000 nursing vacancies in Wales, out of a workforce of about 40, said the offer did not reflect nurses' work in recent months in reducing NHS waiting March, the number of patients waiting two years or more for planned treatment stood at 8,389 - its lowest point since April 2021. The RCN Wales will consult its members on the pay nurses voted to go on strike several times at the end of 2022 and the start of 2023. Asked whether RCN members were willing to return to the picket lines, Ms Hughes said it would be "very difficult" currently."They're tired, they're burnt out, they're trying to do the best for their patients that they can," she said."So, although there will be an appetite with some of our members to go on strike, we will have to see where they go because they do feel very downtrodden at the Hughes added nurses were fighting "every day" to get through their shift, make sure patients had safe care, and to ensure colleagues were looked afterA Welsh government spokesperson said: "We have accepted the recommendations made by the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and are working to ensure that staff will receive both the pay increase and back pay as soon as possible. "We greatly value the nursing and midwifery workforce in Wales and the vital work they do." Watch Walescast at 22:40 BST on BBC One Wales or catch up on iPlayer. It is also available on BBC Sounds.
The Courier
25-05-2025
- Health
- The Courier
NHS Fife nurse at centre of controversial trans tribunal suing her own trade union
The Kirkcaldy nurse suing NHS Fife over her suspension following a trans changing room row has launched legal action against her own trade union. Sandie Peggie is already embroiled in a tribunal with her employer after she told trans doctor Beth Upton she felt uncomfortable at the two sharing a women's locker room. Now she is suing the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) over claims the medical union has failed to help in her lengthy legal battle against NHS Fife. The decision comes just days after Ms Peggie's lawyer wrote to the RCN asking if bosses had written to Fife health board about the importance of single-sex spaces. The letter states Ms Peggie had felt 'disappointment' at the trade union's apparent lack of support. It's understood the Victoria Hospital A&E nurse first requested support from the RCN in early 2024, shortly after the changing room altercation. Sex Matters, a gender critical charity, claimed trade unions across Britain had done little to help female members fighting for single-sex spaces. Helen Joyce, the charity's director, said: 'Unions right across the economy have shamelessly abandoned members who've been penalised for asserting their right to single-sex spaces at work. 'Sandie Peggie's decision to sue RCN should be a wake-up call for every union representing employees who need single sex facilities for their basic privacy and dignity.' Ms Peggie and Dr Upton both gave evidence to the Dundee employment tribunal during the first two weeks of hearings in February. The hugely controversial case has sparked national headlines and caught the attention of celebrities like Harry Potter author JK Rowling. The tribunal is set to reconvene in July. The next round of hearings will come against the backdrop of the UK Supreme Court's ruling that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the equality act refer to biological women. NHS Fife was told to admit defeat in the tribunal following the court's judgement. Earlier this month we reported that the health board had failed in its bid to ban the public from watching the hearing online. The RCN has been contacted for comment.
Cambrian News
24-05-2025
- Health
- Cambrian News
Royal College of Nursing call for 'urgent and sustained investment' in mental health nursing
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is calling for urgent and sustained investment in the mental health nursing workforce following a UK-wide Freedom of Information (FOI) investigation that reveals a rise in the number of patients attending emergency departments in mental health crisis.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
England teachers and doctors granted 4% pay hike after strike pressure
Representative Image (AI) Doctors and teachers in England have been granted a pay hike by 4 per cent, after the government accepted the salary recommendations made by pay review bodies. According to BCC, the reaction from the majority of education unions have been positive and welcoming, with a caveat that spending cuts given no extra funding to school budgets might hamper covering costs. But the health unions have reacted sharply to just 3.6% rise to other NHS staff including nurses and midwives. The British Medical Association (BMA) said an appraisal of 5.4% to resident doctors, was 'woefully inadequate' and they would put it to vote next week, mulling possible strike. Resident doctors staged 11 separate strikes throughout 2023 and 2024, demanding a 35% pay increase to compensate for 15 years of below-inflation wage growth. They eventually received average pay increases totaling 22% over the past two years, which ended the strikes. However, the British Medical Association (BMA) maintains that this year's pay offer still falls short of fully addressing the gap. Meanwhile, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) criticized the smaller raise given to nurses compared to doctors, calling it 'grotesque.' The RCN also condemned the current pay review process as flawed and biased, claiming it keeps nurses at the bottom of the pay scale. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 인천 임플란트 특가! 33만원으로 건강한 치아 완성! [지금 알아보기] 플란치과 더 알아보기 Undo The union intends to consult its members to gauge satisfaction with the pay offer. If nurses reject it, the RCN may proceed with a formal ballot to consider industrial action. A series of announcements on Thursday confirmed: a 4% headline award for doctors, dentists, and teachers in England, as well as prison officers in England and Wales resident doctors will get an extra £750 top-up, which the health department says brings their average rise to 5.4% a 3.6% rise for NHS staff in England on Agenda for Change contracts, including nurses and midwives a 3.25% rise for civil servants, including senior civil servants a 4.5% rise for members of the UK armed forces, with 3.75% for senior military staff. The recently out inflation numbers, which unexpectedly rose to a high of 3.5% have only complicated the matter. With unions representing junior civil servants, PCS contrasted their latest raise proposal of 3.25% with these figures. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called the pay increase for nurses "above inflation," but the Royal College of Nursing argued that rising costs would completely offset the raise. Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies noted that the 4% pay offer for teachers would likely amount to only a modest real-terms increase, as official forecasts project inflation at 3.2% for the current financial year. Concerns around funding The pay increases follow the government's acceptance of recommendations from several pay review bodies, which advise on salaries for about 45% of the public sector workforce. These awards exceed the 2.8% initially allocated by the Treasury, with ministers stating that most of the additional costs will need to be covered through existing departmental budgets. The education department has allocated an extra £615 million to help fund the increases, though it noted that schools would be expected to contribute through "improved productivity and smarter spending." The National Education Union, representing teachers, warned the pay rise was "not fully funded" and cautioned it could result in "cuts in service provision" for many schools. NEU's general secretary Daniel Kebde said to BBC, said his union will undertake discussion on the offer and strike was 'highly unlikely' with 'broader acceptance'. "The question is the issue of funding. Members care deeply about that, and of course will want us to campaign heavily on it," he added. The health department maintained that it could secure the additional funding for the pay increases without affecting "frontline services." It pointed to savings from lowering reliance on temporary staff, eliminating "duplication and waste," and implementing its plan to dissolve NHS England as potential sources of funding. Labour brought an end to prolonged public sector strikes last summer by agreeing to recommended pay increases ranging from 4.75% to 6% for the previous year. Ministers defended the decision as necessary to prevent harm to the economy, though it drew criticism from Conservatives, who claimed the government had lost control over public sector pay. Shadow health secretary Edward Argar said: "We warned Labour that the unions would simply come back for more when they gave into the strikes and agreed to above inflation pay demands with no strings attached. "The government needs to get a grip, say how they'll pay for above inflation pay rises without taking money from services for patients, and to stand up to the unions by negotiating a fair affordable deal for taxpayers".
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Doctors set for inflation-busting pay rises
Doctors will be given inflation-busting pay rises of up to 6 per cent, ministers will announce today. The pay award will see junior doctors, now rebranded as 'resident doctors' receiving the biggest award of all public sector workers, after threatening more strikes. The medics, who are on starting salaries of £37,000, will receive a lift of between 5 and 6 per cent, depending on their grade. This comes from a basic rise of 4 per cent, plus a consolidated sum of £750. Millions of NHS workers will receive a rise of 3.6 per cent, just above inflation. The deal given to resident doctors is by far the most generous. It comes just months after the British Medical Association's members voted to accept a pay offer which gave them an average uplift of 22 per cent over two years. That ended an 18 month dispute and 44 days of strike action. Earlier this month, the BMA announced that resident doctors would again be balloted on strike action. Hospital leaders said they were 'alarmed' by the prospect, with the ballot due to open next week. The gulf between the pay awards for doctors and nurses is likely to inflame tensions. The Royal College of Nursing has already expressed anger at the prospect of again getting a lower pay rise than doctors, after nurses settled for 5.5 per cent last year. Earlier this month the union said nurses could strike this summer if they are not awarded a 'significant' pay rise soon. Addressing the union's annual congress Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary told the Government 'not to sail close to wind' and risk industrial action. In the speech she told ministers: 'If you continue to insult this profession, leave it ailing and underpaid this summer then you know how this could escalate.' It followed warnings that Labour risks a 'summer of discontent', with teachers, resident doctors, other NHS workers, civil servants and university staff all warning of potential industrial action over pay. Nurses are being surveyed by the RCN on whether they approve of the Government's proposed figure and what action – including strikes – they are willing to take, although no official ballot is yet planned. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
