Barclay rules out improved pay offer for nurses after latest talks
Posted 30 May 2023 - 13:24
Despite constructive meeting with RCN’s Pat Cullen last week, health secretary says he cannot improve previous ‘final’ offer
Heath and social care secretary Steve Barclay has ruled out a fresh pay offer for nurses, saying it would not be legally possible.
Mr Barclay told Sky News that despite having a ‘constructive meeting’ with RCN general secretary Pat Cullen last week the current pay deal was the full and final offer.
The RCN is currently balloting its members on a fresh wave of strike action after they voted to reject the government’s pay offer of 5% for 2023-24, along with a lump sum payment for last year.
Barclay says pay offer already made is ‘fair’ and ‘final’ and he won’t offer anything higher
However, the NHS Staff Council voted to accept the offer, meaning staff on Agenda for Change (AfC) contracts in England will see the increase in their June pay packets, despite the RCN and Unite remaining in dispute with the government.
Speaking to Trevor Philips on Sky News on Sunday, Mr Barclay said the pay offer was ‘fair’ and ‘final’ and he would not be offering anything higher.
He said: ‘It’s not legally possible to give a band 6 nurse a different pay to a band 6 midwife or band 6 paramedic because they are graded, the jobs that they do are evaluated in the same way. Pat herself said this [the offer] was real progress, she recommended the deal, she negotiated the deal.’
When asked whether he would go back to the negotiating table Mr Barclay replied: ‘Well, not on the amount of pay. There’s things in the deal that we agreed with the NHS Staff Council where there is further work around pay progression, around violence against staff, around pension abatement.’
Still no date for long-awaited NHS workforce plan
Mr Barclay also refused to say when the long-awaited NHS workforce plan would be published, which had been promised by ministers for spring 2023.
The plan for England aims to address the chronic staff shortages and show a path towards fixing the country’s healthcare problems, including forecasts for the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals needed to maintain the workforce over the next five to 15 years.
Part of health unions’ dispute with the government over pay in recent months concerns staff shortages and the urgent need to recruit and retain staff.
The RCN has been contacted for comment.
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