Latest news with #RoyalCollegeOfNursing
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Nurses ramp up strikes threats with ballot over 'grotesque' above-inflation pay deal
Nurses will start voting today on what they have derided as the Government's 'grotesque' 3.6 per cent pay offer as they ramp up the threat of fresh strikes. Around 345,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing are being balloted on the latest pay award, which they have claimed will be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation '. Last month, the Labour Goverment accepted the recommendation of a pay review body to give nursing staff in England's NHS a pay rise of 3.6 per cent. The latest inflation figures showed the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate jumped by more than expected in April to 3.5 per cent. The RCN described the award as 'grotesque', while doctors, teachers, prison officers and the Armed Forces all received a bigger increase. An identical pay award for nurses was made in Wales, while in Northern Ireland, the health minister has announced his wish to also implement a 3.6 per cent rise. RCN members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being asked whether the pay award is enough, amid warnings of yet another industrial dispute. NHS workers, including nurses, staged a series of strikes under the previous Conservative government in bitter rows over pay. Speaking at an international nursing conference in Helsinki today, RCN general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger will say: 'I'm with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough.' The RCN said nursing staff in England have faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010/11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the numbers quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the RCN. Professor Ranger will add: 'Over a decade of pay erosion has had a devastating impact on our profession, forcing increasing numbers into quitting while putting off the nurses of the future. 'When our members vote, they won't just be voting on the fairness of the award for themselves, but if it's enough to turn our profession around.' As well as the threat of strikes by nurses, Health Secretary Wes Streeting is also battling the British Medical Association over the Government's offer of an average 5.4 per cent pay rise for junior doctors.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurses threaten strikes in vote on ‘grotesque' pay deal
Nurses will consider strike action as a vote on the profession's 'grotesque' 3.6 per cent pay rise opens. Almost 350,000 nurses across the UK will vote on whether to accept or reject the pay award for 2025-26 from Monday. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said it was the biggest single vote of the profession ever launched in the UK. It comes as the Government faces a summer of discontent with doctors already balloting to strike, and teachers and airport staff threatening disruption. Last month, the Government said NHS staff on the agenda for change banding system, which includes nurses, would receive a pay uplift of 3.6 per cent this year, after accepting the recommendation of the pay review body. But the profession was incensed after resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, were told they would be getting 5.4 per cent on average on top of the 22 per cent rise they received last year. The RCN said the award for nurses was 'grotesque' and that the pay rise would be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. It said the outcome of the vote would inform its next steps, which could include a ballot to strike. Doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces will all be receiving a bigger increase. The vote will include RCN members working in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland, where nurses accepted an eight per cent rise over two years to ensure they remain the best paid in the UK. Prof Nicola Ranger, the RCN general secretary, will tell an international conference in Helsinki, Finland, that she is 'with nurses from around the world today asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay'. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards,' she said. 'It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6 per cent is enough.' The RCN said nurses in England had faced more than a decade of pay erosion since 2010-11, with pay down by a quarter in real terms. As a result, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the number quitting is 'skyrocketing', said the Royal College. Nurses went on strike for the first time in NHS history over the winter of 2022-23, staging four separate two-day walkouts. Under strike rules, unions are required to re-ballot members to continue striking every six months. But the RCN did not secure the required turnout of more than 50 per cent of its members, and so lost its mandate to continue striking in 2023 despite remaining in an official dispute with the Government. Its members previously voted to reject the 5.5 per cent pay award for 2024-25 last year, as well as the five per cent in 2023-24 the year before, which also came with a one-off payment of at least £1,655, despite other unions accepting it. Resident doctors are currently balloting to strike again after demanding the 5.4 per cent increase awarded to them for this financial year is nearer to 30 per cent. The ballot closes on July 7, 2025. 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.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurses to vote on pay deal as potential strike looms
Almost 350,000 nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be asked to vote from Monday on a 3.6% pay increase. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has already dismissed the award as "grotesque" and says the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps which could include a ballot for strike action. A bitter pay dispute saw nurses striking in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from late 2022 and through the winter. Some members of other health unions also staged walkouts over pay. With the possibility of another round of industrial action looming, the vote is being billed as the biggest single vote by the profession ever launched in the UK. Ministers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland all announced pay awards following review body recommendations. There was a 5.4% average increase for resident doctors, formally known as junior doctors, 4% for consultants and other senior doctors, and 3.6% for nurses and other health workers. RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said that the government had "once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay". "Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards." According to the Ranger, nursing staff in England have endured "over a decade of pay erosion", which has resulted in "skyrocketing" numbers of nurses quitting. "It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough," Ranger will say. Resident doctors in England are already being balloted on strike action over pay. Other health unions are organising votes on the pay awards. All this may cast a shadow over a government 10-year plan for the NHS in England due in the next few weeks. The Scottish government has already agreed a two-year 8% pay offer with health unions.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurses to vote on pay deal as potential strike looms
Almost 350,000 nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be asked to vote from Monday on a 3.6% pay increase. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has already dismissed the award as "grotesque" and says the vote will be crucial in determining the next steps which could include a ballot for strike action. A bitter pay dispute saw nurses striking in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from late 2022 and through the winter. Some members of other health unions also staged walkouts over pay. With the possibility of another round of industrial action looming, the vote is being billed as the biggest single vote by the profession ever launched in the UK. Ministers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland all announced pay awards following review body recommendations. There was a 5.4% average increase for resident doctors, formally known as junior doctors, 4% for consultants and other senior doctors, and 3.6% for nurses and other health workers. RCN General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said that the government had "once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay". "Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale and are set to receive one of the lowest pay awards." According to the Ranger, nursing staff in England have endured "over a decade of pay erosion", which has resulted in "skyrocketing" numbers of nurses quitting. "It is time to show that nurses are valued and, from today, hundreds of thousands of nursing staff working in the NHS will give their verdict on whether 3.6% is enough," Ranger will say. Resident doctors in England are already being balloted on strike action over pay. Other health unions are organising votes on the pay awards. All this may cast a shadow over a government 10-year plan for the NHS in England due in the next few weeks. The Scottish government has already agreed a two-year 8% pay offer with health unions.
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Health
- The Independent
‘I slept in my car just to attend classes': Inside the financial hardship faced by student nurses at university
Student nurses are being forced to sleep in their cars and go to food banks due to a lack of financial support, the government has been told. Financial hardship is forcing nurses into 'devastating' situations while studying and, as graduates also struggle to get jobs after university, according to the Royal College of Nursing. The nurses' union said the situation was 'disgusting' and has written to health secretary Wes Streeting and education secretary Bridgette Phillipson, calling for better financial support for student nurses. RCN general secretary and chief executive professor Nicola Ranger said:'Your nurse education should be about fulfilling your potential, but instead many of our students are saddled with debt, whilst poor financial support drives them into poverty. To make matters worse, more and more say they are unable to secure a job when they qualify and at a time when there are widespread vacancies. It's disgusting and a tragedy for patients.' 'It was the lowest point in my life' One nurse in the West Midlands, Jess Dodds, 29, revealed she was homeless during her first year of university and had to sleep in her car for a week just to attend classes. She told The Independent: 'It was the lowest point in my life, I was away from home from, my parents, trying to make something of myself, yet I felt that I had nothing and I did not want to worry any of my family members back up north of my situation, I pretended everything was fine. 'I was embarrassed and ashamed that I had nowhere to go and call my own. After university, I would find somewhere cheap to eat or sometimes have nothing at all, then find somewhere to park and sleep for the night, whether that was in the university car park or a nearby industrial estate. She said: 'I would not sleep much because of fear someone would see me or call the police. Before university I would freshen up at a local gym or at the university toilets ready to start my day and repeat for some time until I found permanent accommodation.' Ms Dodds said as a result of her financial position her studies were impacted as if she was not able to connect to Wifi she would have to catch up before class. Reforms to the nursing bursary by the government in 2017 saw the removal of maintenance grants for student nurses to support living costs, worth at least £1,000 a year. The total value of the bursaries, no longer in existence, was up to £16,454 a year. In January 2024 the number of applicants to UK nursing degrees dropped to 31,100, from 45,090 in January 2017. 'If the bursary had not been cut, it would have allowed me to have more money available so I could have rented somewhere quicker rather than having to wait a while to save up the bond and deposit money. I felt let down by the system, especially with the type of profession I am studying for. I can only hope that no other student has to experience homelessness and lack of security,' Ms Dodds added. The situation for some is forcing students to use food banks and lectures having to offer to buy them food, according to the RCN. Annette Davies, a nurse and university lecturer, said: 'I can't believe I'm sending students lists of food banks where they can get food. I shouldn't be doing that, that's not right.' 'I have a colleague who, the other week, bought one of the students sandwiches. She had no food. She's got a 14-year-old son at home. We gave her money out of our pockets. We shouldn't be doing that, but what else were we to do?' The warning comes a year after health secretary Wes Streeting settled a pay dispute with nurses. However, warnings have come that the government could see new strikes over pay this year. According to the RCN, applications to nursing courses in 2021 have 'collapsed' by 35 per cent, while a survey from the union last year revealed seven in ten students were considering quitting due to financial difficulties. Meanwhile the RCN has warned nurses have reported difficulties finding jobs after graduation as the NHS seeks to cut down on its agency staff. A government spokesperson said: 'These reports are shocking and deeply saddening. They are a shameful marker of the broken NHS we inherited and our overworked, undervalued and demoralised workforce. 'We hugely value our student nurses, and we are supporting them with a grant of £5,000 per academic year, on top of maintenance and tuition fee loans. 'Through our Plan for Change, we are rebuilding our NHS for the benefit of patients and staff, and ensuring nursing remains an attractive career choice.'
