Responding to the announcement that a mandate has been provided to the NHS Staff Council for Agenda for Change (AfC) pay negotiations to proceed, RCN Executive Director of Legal and Member Relations, Jo Galbraith-Marten, said:

 

“Today’s announcement that talks will begin on reforming the NHS pay structure are an important step and testament to the dedicated campaigning of nursing staff.

 

“Nursing has been failed for too long on pay, forced to contend with a decades’ old system which often traps staff at the lowest pay band for their entire career. It’s a situation which has not only hit the profession in the pocket but caused morale to collapse.

 

“These talks must deliver genuine change for nursing as a female-dominated, safety-critical profession, ensuring it is recognised and rewarded for the highly-skilled work it does today."