Source: Metro News

NHS staff in England will receive a 3% pay rise backdated to April, the Government has announced. Nurses, paramedics, consultants and dentists will get the hike ‘in recognition of their extraordinary efforts’ during the pandemic after ministers accepted the recommendations of the pay review body.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the pay rise would mean an additional £1,000 per year for the average nurse and a £540 annual increase for porters and cleaners. But unions criticised the pay offer, calling it ‘insulting’, ‘grossly inadequate’ and ‘frankly appalling’. The announcement had been expected in a Commons statement earlier Wednesday afternoon which failed to materialise.

It was eventually confirmed a few hours later in a press release from the DHSC, which the GMB union said had been ‘sneaked out as MPs are packing up for summer holidays’.

In a statement, RCN interim general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: ‘After a shambolic day, comes a shambolic announcement. When the Treasury expects inflation to be 3.7%, ministers are knowingly cutting pay for an experienced nurse by over £200 in real-terms.

‘Hospitals and other parts of the NHS are struggling to recruit nurses and healthcare support workers. The Government has been warned that many more are on the verge of leaving. With today’s decision, ministers have made it even harder to provide safe care to patients.’

For the full article, click here: https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/21/nhs-staff-in-england-to-receive-a-3-pay-rise-14967904/