Your votes are in on the NHS and HSC pay consultations. And I am really pleased that the consultations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had a record number of nursing staff take part. Thank you to every RCN member, voting volunteer, staff member, TUC and council colleague, and to every RCN representative across the UK. 

At Congress just three months ago, I spoke about the power of our collective voice. And the message could not be clearer: RCN members have overwhelmingly said that 3.6% is not enough. 

As I have said previously, one of my main aims as RCN President is to make sure the voices of my colleagues are heard and included in the important conversations held about nursing pay. This was the time to have your say. We stood together and I am proud of all of you. Now we are doing everything we can to ensure your voices are heard loudly by governments and other decision makers. Please be assured, we are moving in the right direction. 

The situation is slightly different across the UK but the strength of feeling from all our members was clear throughout. In England more than 170,000 nursing staff voted and nine in 10 said 3.6% was not enough. That’s why we’re telling ministers in England to use the summer to reach agreement or face formal escalation to dispute and an industrial action ballot.  

In Wales, members working in the NHS also voted overwhelmingly to say that 3.6% is not enough. We’re now pushing for meaningful discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and considering next steps. 

In Northern Ireland, almost 80% of those of you who voted said that the proposed HSC pay award of 3.6% was not enough. But despite being told they deserve the same pay award as nursing staff in England and Wales, we have yet to have confirmation of when and indeed if this will happen in Northern Ireland. This is not good enough. We have now launched a formal dispute with the Northern Ireland Executive and HSC employers over the continuing absence of an Agenda for Change pay award in Northern Ireland for 2025-2026. And we are demanding an urgent meeting with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister about this. 

As we know, direct negotiations with government had a positive result for nursing staff in Scotland, showing ministers across the UK what can be gained from negotiating directly with the largest health care workforce.  

Over the past few months, I have travelled the country, meeting frontline nursing staff during the pay consultation campaign. I’ve seen, everywhere, how nursing staff have been extraordinarily brilliant - leading innovations that improve care, enhance patient flow throughout hospitals, reduce waiting lists, and tackle corridor care. 

I am proud that the RCN’s campaign on corridor care earlier this year has helped drive some of these changes and patients are benefiting. Nursing is not just the completion of a list of tasks. It is a complex, scientific professional practice that requires application of the professional judgement which professionals acquire through years of training and development of professional expertise.  

But I have also seen the huge strain experienced by all layers of the nursing workforce as a result of the current financial pressures. We are a safety-critical profession, and that is something that has to be at the heart of any negotiations – the most important thing is the safety of our patients. 

My ask to all members is to stand together during these challenging times. Speak up, support one another and share your concerns with the RCN. We need more reps, more people attending branch meetings, and more of you engaging with our surveys. 

On that note, every year we run our Employment Survey and ask our members to give us a snapshot of the nursing profession including your feelings about nursing as a career and pay and conditions. We have been running this research for over 20 years – and we use this valuable and robust evidence to campaign for members in all health and social care settings. So please take our survey and tell us about your experiences before it closes on Sunday.  

Also, a reminder that we’re calling on the Welsh Government to immediately begin recording and reporting on corridor care in Wales. There is still time to sign the RCN Wales and BMA Cymru Wales petition on patient safety, so please add to our collective voice.  

Thank you again to all of you for getting active and making yourselves heard. It’s important that we continue to make our voices heard – not just during consultations, but all year round. That is how we will achieve meaningful change for the nursing profession.