
Ahead of a possible nursing pay rise, this article details what this will mean in real money terms for nurses, the background surrounding this proposal and the outcome in relation to the effects of inflation.
Yet again, nursing pay is in the headlines.
And this time it’s because a 5% pay rise has been offered to NHS staff in England, starting from April.
All NHS nurses, and all NHS workers except doctors (who are on a different contract), will receive a 5% pay rise, if this new deal is approved by union members.
As ever, there’s slightly more to it than meets the eye, and it isn’t fully confirmed yet. But here’s a brief summary of what we do know.
A 5% Pay Rise For NHS Nurses, Starting In April 2023
All NHS nurses, and all NHS workers except doctors (who are on a different contract), will receive a 5% pay rise, if this new deal is approved by union members.
The unions have recommended that members back it after many months of talks and strikes. So it’s highly likely that this pay rise will be approved.
…And A One-Off Payment Of At Least £1655
A further one-off payment of at least £1655 is also on offer, which is a top-up payment for last year’s pay award.
For perspective, £1655 will be for the lowest paid workers on Band 1 but increases through the bandings to £2400 senior roles like Nurse Consultants, and as high as £3789 for managers and directors.
About this contributor
Nurses.co.uk Founder
I launched Nurses.co.uk (and subsequently Socialcare.co.uk, Healthjobs.co.uk and Healthcarejobs.ie) in 2008. 500 applications are made every day via our jobs boards, helping to connect hiring organisations recruiting for clinical, medical, care and support roles with specialist jobseekers. Our articles, often created by our own audience, shine a light on the career pathways in healthcare, and give a platform to ideas and opinions around their work and jobs.
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Log In Subscribe to commentAlayne Gagen
Alayne Gagen
one year agoUnfortunately this award is not being gjven to those who retired in 22 and before March 23 , it's unfair ... read more
Unfortunately this award is not being gjven to those who retired in 22 and before March 23 , it's unfair and show the worth if nurses who gave their all during C19 , even if the award was pro rata that roulade been fairer. I'm disgusted to be honest.
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Peter Keen
Peter Keen
2 years agoThere are two opposing features of the proposed rise. Firstly, the UK is worse than bankrupt and any expense only ... read more
There are two opposing features of the proposed rise. Firstly, the UK is worse than bankrupt and any expense only makes the recession deeper. Secondly, the offer of 5% is under half of the stated CPI and only about one eighth of the real cost of living increase. The stated CPI is brought down to 10.1% by a lot of non-essential products. Essential products like energy, food, phone bill have increased by an average of about 40%. Therefore, the proposed pay rise still leaves staff far worse off than they were one year ago. In answer to whether or not the proposal is accepted depends on your viewpoint. I feel that the rise cannot restore living standards to what is fair and right. They cannot even restore to the position before the government crashed the economy. We can therefore accept the proposal as all that is deemed affordable in the current economic crisis, noting that MPs are to receive the average public sector pay rise this year rather than voting for their own rise as in earlier times.
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Carl Young
Carl Young
2 years agoPersonally, I’m not in favour of accepting on 2 main principles: The first is that the one off payment does not ... read more
Personally, I’m not in favour of accepting on 2 main principles: The first is that the one off payment does not reflect a pay rise, but more like a bribe or ‘handout’, implying that nurses can either be bought, or should accept whatever they are offered and should subsequently be grateful. As professionals, we deserve the right to a decent salary without conditions and strings attached. If we value our roles and and the work we do, we deserve to be paid for it, not humbly accepting a sum that fails to even mitigate against the rise in our fuel bills for our homes. Secondly, the talk of a 5% rise when inflation relates to how prices had increased (all items we now have to buy) is still 5% below this cost of living. Has anyone seen food price fall back? No, they remain high, so we are still paying the inflated prices, therefore to stand still with our standard of living prior to the recent inflation, we need an inflationary matched increase to stand still, otherwise it will equate to a real term reduction. Voting yes to a 5% pay rise equates to effectively voting for a real terms 5% pay cut. How many of us would be considering that prior to the recent inflationary pressures? All the promises from the government about how they have inflation under control and are convinced it will fall back to 5%, fall like many of the other recent promises made which have failed to materialise, on my deaf ears. Again, a 5% increase, is in real terms, a 5% pay cut - when described like this, who wants to put their hands up for that?
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Julia Orege
Julia Orege
2 years agoGreat article... Pay increase well overdue, good to have a decent one off payment too. Let's hope the unions get ... read more
Great article... Pay increase well overdue, good to have a decent one off payment too. Let's hope the unions get the deal done!!
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Ron Taylor
Ron Taylor
2 years agoI would not trust Hunt he will take a good % back in tax. That 5% Will end up as ... read more
I would not trust Hunt he will take a good % back in tax. That 5% Will end up as 2.5%. 10% should have been the deal. Considering so much money like 11 Billion going to Ukraine.
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