Posted 28 June 2021 - 15:59
Posted 28 June 2021 - 15:59
News
New health and social care secretary must not insult us with 1% pay rise, say nurses
RCN urges Sajid Javid to ‘hold on to the fantastic nurses we’ve got’
RCN urges Sajid Javid to ‘hold on to the fantastic nurses we’ve got’
New health and social care secretary Sajid Javid must improve on the ‘insulting’ 1% pay rise offer for NHS staff, senior nurses have urged.
RCN acting general secretary Pat Cullen called for the re-think in the wake of the resignation of Matt Hancock.
Mr Javid speaks of 'huge responsibility' of new role
Mr Hancock quit on 26 June after video footage of him breaching social distancing guidance by kissing a colleague was leaked to the media.
In a short statement, Mr Javid said he was honoured to take up his new role and acknowledged that it was a huge responsibility.
Government must make next move on nurse pay
The independent NHS Pay Review Body (RB) has told Nursing Standard the government received its recommendations on 2021-22 pay for Agenda for Change staff last week.
This paves the way for a long-awaited pay announcement from the government, which has previously indicated a 1% pay rise was all it could afford.
Ms Cullen said feedback from the RB was likely to already be in Mr Javid’s in-tray.
We can’t afford to lose nurses, says RCN
‘Please don’t insult nurses by awarding them a 1% pay award,’ Ms Cullen told BBC One’s Breakfast programme.
‘That will do nothing to try and hold on to the fantastic nurses we’ve got in our system; not one of them can we afford to lose.’
Mr Javid is urged to address nurse vacancies
Ms Cullen added that Mr Javid needed to devise a ‘national recovery plan’ for the health service, including tackling nursing vacancies.
Data from NHS Digital show nurse vacancies stood at 34,678 in England as of 31 March.
‘Nurses felt they were approaching the pandemic with one hand tied behind their back,’ said Ms Cullen. ‘Those vacancies need to be addressed.’
Who is new health and social care secretary Sajid Javid?
Former banker Sajid Javid was elected Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, in 2010.
His new appointment marks a return to the cabinet, after he resigned as chancellor in February 2020 after only six months in post.
His previous voting record on nursing issues includes:
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