Essex hospitals consider 'golden handcuff' nurse bonuses

The trust in Essex has struggled to compete with salaries in the NHS in the capital

Hospital executives are considering so-called "golden handcuff" bonuses for their nurses.

A report put to the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust (MSEFT) suggested handing nurses an extra 10% on their salary after six months in the job.

The trust, which runs Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals, has struggled to compete with nearby jobs offering London-weighting salaries.

An NHS campaign group said a retention policy at the trust was "essential".

The Save Southend NHS group held a demonstration at the hospital in December

The report from the trust management executive, being put to the board of directors at a meeting on Thursday, also suggested a 10% salary bonus for nurses after two years.

Any payments would be reclaimed if the individual left the organisation in the following 12 months.

The report admitted it would need to be clear on which "groups of staff this would apply to".

• When are the NHS strikes?

• Southend hospital's A&E given £8m NHS funding

• NHS in England facing worst staffing crisis in history, MPs warn

The management executive promised to bring back "further proposals" for the directors before any decision was made.

"It is essential for all employers of nursing staff outside of London to adopt a recruitment and retention policy," said Save Southend NHS spokesman Freddie Dawkins, speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"In light of the 13 years of real term pay cuts for NHS staff, who can blame the many staff from our area who leave to go to better paid jobs in London, which is just a train ride away."

The NHS has also been running a national recruitment campaign

An MSEFT spokesman stressed the proposals were at an early stage but pointed out it employed almost 3,000 new starters over the past year.

The most recent Care Quality Commission report described the trust as one of the largest in England, serving a population of more than 1.2 million, with about 15,000 staff.

Nurses in England were due to go on strike on 1 March but the action was called off after the government agreed to enter pay talks.

Junior doctors are due to walk out on 13, 14 and 15 March.