Pay deal ‘may help make up lost ground’ on recruitment and retention
RCN urges pay review body to back ‘robust’ approach to workforce data
The NHS pay deals negotiated last year will not make up for years of lost earnings due to financial restraint, but should help to attract and retain nurses and support safe staffing, the RCN says.
The college makes the point in its annual submission to the NHS Pay Review Body (RB), which is taking evidence on the implementation and impact of the multi-year deal in England.
Although the RB’s remit only covers England, the RCN also calls for monitoring and evaluation of the deals negotiated for Scotland and Wales in 2018, as well as a fair deal for nurses in Northern Ireland.
‘A foundation for attracting recruits’
‘While the three pay agreements will not make up for the total loss in earnings experienced by nursing staff as a result of pay restraint in the NHS, the RCN is hopeful that they will start to make up for lost ground and provide a foundation for attracting new recruits, retaining existing staff and ensuring safe staffing levels,’ the RCN's submission says.
It also calls for the RB to support a ‘clear and robust’ approach to workforce data gathering, to ensure confidence in the implementation of the pay deals.
The RCN says nursing vacancy rates stand at 12% in England and 4.5% in Scotland. No data are available for Northern Ireland and Wales.
Progress on Northern Ireland pay
In its submission, the college also reiterates its calls for rapid progress towards a meaningful pay uplift for nurses in Northern Ireland, where a lack of government has prevented attempts to address the issue.
Its evidence also highlights the college’s ongoing concerns, including:
- More leavers than joiners on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register.
- Average annual earnings grew by 8.1% for registered nurses, and 11.4% for the nursing support workforce, between 2010 and 2018, compared with cumulative inflation of 28.3%.
- Applications to study nursing dropped by 9% between 2017 and 2018.
The RB will present its report to the Department of Health and Social Care in May.
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