NHS pay offer 'unfair' says former nurse

Nurses taking part in a Royal College of Nursing picket

A former NHS staff member says the pay increase offered to nurses should match other parts of the public sector, arguing it is a "team that saves lives, not just one profession or person".

Sarah Oakley, from Ely in Cambridgeshire - who was a nurse before leaving the NHS to set up a private practice - said she often felt not "quite as valued" as other workers.

She said the proposed 3.6% rise for nurses "wasn't fair" compared to 4% for teachers and 4.75% for prison officers.

A Department of Health spokesperson said the basic pay of new, full-time nurses would be £30,000 this year and the government was working with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on career progression and working conditions.

Ms Oakley said she felt nurses' pay could be linked to historic pay barriers, as the role has mainly been filled by women.

"Compared to other pay offers, it's very much saying 'we don't value you as much as we value teachers and doctors and armed forces' - that is kind of what it feels like."

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been holding a consultative vote on the offer, which is which is expected to be rejected.

If so, the union would push for summer negotiations to avoid a formal strike ballot.

Dr Tamara Keith, a GP in Bottisham, agreed that nurses deserved better pay

Dr Tamara Keith, a GP in Bottisham, said she also felt nurses deserved better pay.

"I think people forget that nurses are really on the front line 24 hours a day looking after our patients in hospitals and fully deserve a decent pay rise," she said.

"Salaries are just not keeping up with the cost of living, and funding within the NHS is not keeping up with the pace of change."

Roy Lilley, a health analyst and former NHS chief executive, said a larger pay rise would require a huge funding uplift, given there were about 300,000 nurses in the NHS.

He warned that strike action by nurses could disrupt waiting lists and hospital operations.