RCN: local pay a ‘recipe for disaster’

Published: 25 September 2012

The Royal College of Nursing today welcomed the vote taken at the Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton calling on the Government to rule out any further expansion in regional or local pay.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said the result was another sign of the growing opposition to localised pay in the NHS.

“On a day when nearly two-thirds of the public said they wanted the Government to drop these proposals, it is pleasing to see the Liberal Democrats echo the major concerns that the RCN, and many other organisations, share. The RCN has met with many Liberal Democrat members and politicians this week and welcomes the support they are showing on this issue.”

Dr Carter added: “The introduction of local pay into the NHS would be a recipe for disaster with damaging implications for local economies and the NHS. Agenda for Change, allied to national pay rates, provides a fair, transparent system. It allows a nurse in Norfolk to be paid the same the same as a nurse in Newcastle. It means that in any part of the country, employers know they can recruit staff with the right skills and experience to give patients the care that they need.

Dr Carter urged the NHS Pay Review Body in its forthcoming report to reject outright any calls for the introduction of a market-facing remit for NHS pay.