NHS workers in England to get "derisory" 1% pay rise

Health workers ranging from doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives to cleaners and porters are to receive a 1% pay rise, angering unions.

The government said it had accepted recommendations from Pay Review Bodies (PRB) for increases in the coming year.

Unions reacted with fury, saying the rise was “derisory”, especially as fuel, food and transport costs were increasing.

Christina McAnea, head of health at Unison, said: “This deal amounts to less than £5 a week for most midwives, nurses, cleaners, paramedics, radiographers and other healthcare staff. It’s a derisory amount in the face of soaring fuel bills, rising food prices and increasing transport costs.

“The government’s insistence on the 1% cap has tied the PRB’s hands. As the PRB itself admits, it can no longer prevent health employees’ pay falling way behind wages in almost every part of the economy.Without the cash to hold on to experienced employees, the NHS staffing crisis will worsen as people leave for less stressful, better rewarded jobs elsewhere.

“Today’s unfair settlement is yet more evidence of the government’s failure to invest in the NHS. Ministers must stop relying on goodwill, rethink this short-sighted pay policy and reward staff properly.”

Rehana Azam, of the GMB union, said: “Public sector workers desperately need a real pay rise, not the miserly and cruel decision being imposed on them by the government.

“Dedicated professionals are hurting and the quality of services is deteriorating for everyone else. Theresa May talks about helping those who are ‘just about managing’, but it’s clear that she doesn’t include over 5 million public sector workers. Imposing a 1% settlement is an insult to our selfless NHS staff and other public sector workers – who keep us safe day in, day out.”

Unison’s general secretary, Dave Prentis, said: “Day after day NHS staff are giving 100%, but getting just 1% in return. Low pay makes it tough for the NHS to hold on to experienced employees and recruit the next generation. And without enough staff, patient care will suffer. The pay of top judges and MPs has already breached the government’s 1% limit. It’s high time ministers stopped penalising NHS employees and gave them a decent pay rise.”

Jon Skewes, of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “It is extremely disappointing that the government is continuing with its disastrous policy of pay restraint for a seventh year. While we welcome that both the Scottish and Welsh governments will give a slightly higher award to lower paid staff, we want to see an inflationary increase given to all staff.

“As a result of below-inflation increases for the past seven years, midwives have seen their pay drop in value by over £6,000 since 2010. It is unsustainable for this to continue. There is currently a shortage of 3,500 midwives in the NHS, with many more midwives debating whether to leave midwifery because the pressures the service is currently under have created a situation in which midwives have never been so challenged in their ability to give high-quality, safe care to women and their families.

“Eighty percent of midwives who were intending to leave or have left the service told us they would be persuaded to stay if their pay was higher.”

Janet Davies, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said the announcement was a bitter blow to nursing staff across England.

“The government will deter new people from joining the nursing profession at the very moment it is failing to retain staff and European colleagues in particular head for the door. The government is still refusing to keep nursing wages in line with inflation. The government has already cut nursing pay by 14% in real terms, leaving too many struggling and turning to food banks and hardship grants.

“Many nurses rely on working extra hours for the NHS as agency staff but, from next week, they will be forced to work through a ‘bank’ and accept lower rates of pay than they get in their normal NHS job. Ministers are ignoring the evidence that staff shortages put patient care and safety at risk. Tens of thousands of nursing jobs lie vacant today and the government missed the opportunity to stop that getting worse.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “The dedication and sheer hard work of our NHS staff is absolutely crucial to delivering world-class care for patients. We are pleased to announce that all NHS staff will receive a 1% pay increase.”

Unite national officer Sarah Carpenter said: “What the PRB has proposed is woefully inadequate and means that the majority of NHS staff will have experienced a loss of income in real terms of about 17% since 2010.

“This won’t staunch the recruitment and retention crisis currently affecting many healthcare professions, which is exacerbated by the ugly Brexit shadow hanging over the future of the estimated 55,000 EU nationals working for the NHS. Health secretary Jeremy Hunt often speaks warm words in support of NHS staff, but the reality is that he has been quite content to see this serious erosion in NHS pay continue.”

NHS workers in England to get "derisory" 1% pay rise