There is a cure for the NHS: give nurses a pay rise | Janet Davies

There is a cure for the NHS: give nurses a pay rise | Janet Davies As head of the Royal College of Nursing, I can see the haemorrhage of staff continuing until something changes

When money gets tight in the NHS, they go straight for the so-called low-hanging fruit. Politicians and economists who do not understand patient care cut the staffing bill to balance the books. Nurses, as members of one of the largest professions in the NHS, find themselves first in line. Failings at Stafford hospital and other recent scandals have not acted as enough of a deterrent.

Patients on wards feel the difference, but so does the older person waiting for the district nurse at home and those who visit local clinics. The number of trained nurses available to work for the NHS is getting smaller and hospitals have 40,000 fewer nurses than they say they need.

It cannot be repeated enough: a pay 'rise' that is deliberately held below inflation is in fact a pay cut Continue reading... The Guardian