Local pay is a 'recipe for disaster' - RCN

Published: 25 September 2012

For immediate release: Tuesday 25 September 2012
 
Local pay is a ‘recipe for disaster’ - RCN

The Royal College of Nursing today (25 September) welcomed the vote taken at the Liberal Democrat conference calling for the Government to rule out any further expansion in regional or local pay.

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the RCN, said:

“This result is yet 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.

“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.

“We urge the pay review body in its forthcoming report to reject outright any calls for the introduction of a market-facing remit for NHS pay.”

 
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Notes for Editors

 

1.     For further information, please contact the RCN Media Office on 020 7647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit  http://www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/media
 
2.     The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes the interest of nursing staff and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.

3.     Almost two thirds of the 1000 adults polled in the TUC survey said the Government’s proposals on local pay should be dropped.