Responding to the Prime Minister’s claim on ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ that the government reached an agreement with nursing staff on their pay offer, Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:
“The Prime Minister is forgetting basic facts – he never reached a pay resolution with nursing staff in the NHS. Our members rejected his pay offer and we remain in dispute.
“The government needs to get its act together - it must offer nursing staff a far better pay offer this year. Just this week, nursing staff in Northern Ireland announced they will be taking to picket lines over pay.
“Rishi Sunak’s claims about waiting lists increasing because of industrial action have been debunked, but the fact remains they have risen on his watch.
“With over 70% of the public backing strike action by nursing staff because of staffing levels, it’s clear the public support nurses continuing to fight for our NHS and our
patients."
Ends
Notes to Editors
On ‘Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg’ when discussing junior doctors’ strike action, the Prime Minister said: “The Government has now reached resolution with every other part of the NHS, nurses, midwives, paramedics, consultant doctors, specialty doctors most recently.”
A YouGov poll of 2,054 adults in Great Britain between 6-7 December 2023 found:
- 60% of those polled said they would support nursing staff if they were to go on strike
- 73% of those polled support nursing staff going on strike in 2024 because of staffing levels
- 66% of those polled support nursing staff going on strike in 2024 because of pay
- 85% of people believing there aren’t enough nurses to safely care for patients in the NHS
The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+). A breakdown of the polling results is available on the YouGov archive.
