Nurse pay ‘lagging in the back of’ remainder of public sector in Wales

Pay for nurses in Wales is at a “standstill” and “lagging behind” different public sector employees, in step with a union.

Nurses had been presented a 3.6% pay upward thrust for this monetary 12 months, under the be offering for different NHS group of workers together with medical doctors and dentists.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales has requested whether or not “downtrodden” nurses “have got the fight in them” to return on strike.

The Welsh executive mentioned it had authorized the suggestions made by way of the unbiased NHS pay overview frame in complete and was once running to make sure group of workers obtain the pay building up and again pay “as soon as possible”.

Announcing the pay be offering, Wales’ Health Secretary Jeremy Miles mentioned nurses equipped “exceptional care”, including their services and products had been “truly appreciated”.

The minister authorized the recommendation of the NHS pay overview frame, together with a 4% pay building up for medical doctors and dentists, and what has been described as a mean upward thrust of 5.4% for resident medical doctors, till just lately referred to as junior medical doctors.

Speaking to BBC Walescast, Nicky Hughes, RCN Wales’ affiliate director of nursing, mentioned the Welsh executive will have to “respect all professions and provide equal pay or at least parity across all the public sectors”.

“Yet for the second year in a row we find that nurses…are lagging behind and that really shows a complete disrespect for the profession.”

With the upward push in on a regular basis costs these days working at 3.5%, Ms Hughes mentioned the 3.6% award for nurses was once “about on inflation”.

She added the price of residing disaster, specifically for meals, was once additionally a subject matter.

“We know that nurses are using food banks so, at the moment, what we’re saying is, nurses deserve more.”

Ms Hughes additionally pointed to the 2,000 nursing vacancies in Wales, out of a staff of about 40,000.

She mentioned the be offering didn’t replicate nurses’ paintings in contemporary months in decreasing NHS ready lists.

In March, the selection of sufferers ready two years or extra for deliberate remedy stood at 8,389 – its lowest level since April 2021.

The RCN Wales will seek the advice of its contributors at the pay be offering.

Welsh nurses voted to move on strike a number of instances on the finish of 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

Asked whether or not RCN contributors had been prepared to go back to the wood traces, Ms Hughes mentioned it could be “very difficult” these days.

“They’re tired, they’re burnt out, they’re trying to do the best for their patients that they can,” she mentioned.

“So, although there will be an appetite with some of our members to go on strike, we will have to see where they go because they do feel very downtrodden at the moment.

Ms Hughes added nurses were fighting “on a daily basis” to get through their shift, make sure patients had safe care, and to ensure colleagues were looked after

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We have authorized the suggestions made by way of the unbiased NHS Pay Review Body in complete and are running to be sure that group of workers will obtain each the pay building up and again pay once imaginable.

“We greatly value the nursing and midwifery workforce in Wales and the vital work they do.”

Watch Walescast at 22:40 BST on BBC One Wales or atone for iPlayer. It could also be to be had on BBC Sounds.