Pay round 2011

The RCN provided its own evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body and contributed to the joint staff side evidence for 2011.  These submissions were made as NHS staff faced a two-year pay freeze for those earning more than £21,000 per annum and a minimum increase of £250 for staff earning less than £21,000 from April 2011.

The evidence pointed out that the pay freeze merely added to other pressures including budget cuts, structural reforms and the threat of redundancy - all while demand for NHS services continued to rise. 

The RCN and staff side evidence both highlighted heightened levels of anxiety among staff about their own job and living standards, as well as the ability of the NHS to provide high quality care.

We called on the government and employers to consider the long-term impact on recruitment and retention of the pay freeze for staff earning over £21,000 per year. Health care assistants are among the lowest paid staff in the NHS and feel the impact of rising prices and VAT most sharply. We argued that those earning less than £21,000 should receive a rise of at least £250.

Read: RCN evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body 2011 (PDF 268KB) [how to access PDF files]

Read: Staff side evidence to the NHS Pay Review Body 2011 (Word 278KB)