Responding to analysis from the New Economics Foundation showing nurses will be unable to afford the cost of essentials by over £1,450 a month from next April, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:
“Nursing staff across the UK are already struggling — and this analysis shows it will go from bad to worse with many nurses unable to afford the cost of basic essentials.
“Nurses have already suffered a decade of real terms pay cuts, and many simply cannot afford to practice anymore and are being forced to leave the profession. And a chronic shortage of nurses — including 47,000 nurse vacancies in England alone — is putting patients at risk.
“We are over halfway through our historic strike ballot over pay and patient safety, and the new prime minister must be ready for that result in November. Nurses are saying enough is enough, for themselves and for their patients.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
- The analysis from the New Economics Foundation is available here.
