Band 5 nurses are ‘flung in’ to do tasks above their pay level
Posted 19 April 2023 - 11:00
Most band 5 nurse respondents to a Unison survey report being denied a pay rise despite taking on tasks that should be done by senior nurses or doctors
Thousands of band 5 nurses are routinely ‘flung into’ advanced, risky or specialised tasks previously done by senior nurses or doctors, while being overlooked for promotion due to a ‘lack of funds.’
Nurses frequently take on tasks beyond their job description and pay grade
Of more than 5,600 nurses who responded to a survey by Unison, some 89% said their official job description on which their role is graded and pay is set, ‘understates the complexity’ of their job.
About 90% said changes in their role over time meant they were now required to deliver more complex care, and almost three quarters (73%) said they had taken over more ‘complex and risky’ clinical tasks that used to be done by senior colleagues.
The survey found band 5 nurses were performing tasks including ‘risky’ drug transfusions, manual ventilation, treating clots in stroke victims and the verification of deaths.
Band rises are being refused due to 'lack of funding'
One nurse quoted in the survey said a lack of funding was given as a reason not to increase nursing staff’s banding despite additional upskilling and training.
‘With some of the training I’ve had, such as administering cytotoxic drugs used to treat cancer, I should be paid at band 6. I submitted a job evaluation form almost two years ago,’ the nurse added.
Another nurse said: ‘I was put in sole charge of a 26-bed ward. Flung in with no support in the middle of a staffing crisis.’
Others said additional workload demands without a similar boost in pay meant the ‘sparkle had gone from nursing’, while community nursing staff reported having to be GPs’ ‘eyes and ears’ because of a lack of home and face-to-face GP visits.
The survey results, which were presented at Unison’s annual health conference this week, prompted the union to urge the government to take a separate nursing pay spine off the table and ‘focus on the real issues with nursing pay’.
Ditch separate pay spine for nurses, say unions
Unison and Unite have previously spoken out against the idea of an exclusive pay spine for nurses, which was made as a separate offer to the RCN as part of the government’s revised pay deal in England, with both unions saying it could ‘destroy’ the Agenda for Change pay structure and divide the NHS workforce.
Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: ‘Ministers shouldn’t be looking at unstitching the system. The way to tackle inconsistencies is for a wholesale review of grades with regular monitoring to check every job is paid properly for the work done and the skills needed.’
The future of the pay spine is uncertain now that RCN members in England have voted to reject the latest pay offer. The Department of Health and Social Care said it would not speculate on next steps until after all the unions’ ballot results are in and the NHS Staff Council has had a final vote next month.
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