NEWS - Department of Health submits evidence to pay review body

The Royal College of Nursing reiterated its call for the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) to reject outright any proposals to introduce local pay bargaining, as the Department of Health submitted its evidence.

The RCN’s Chief Executive & General Secretary, Dr Peter Carter, said the College believes local pay will risk competition between trusts for staff, drive pay down in certain areas and risk lasting damage to staff morale and motivation.

He said: “The current system is tried and tested. It ensures that employers in any part of the country can recruit staff with the right skills and experience to give patients the care that they need.”

The RCN noted that the Department of Health supported a national pay bargaining framework in its PRB evidence.

Dr Carter said: “We fear that a move which could see two nurses doing the same job but with a wide disparity in their pay is likely to hit patients in those areas which do not pay appropriately.”