To improve upon the rising problem of NHS staff retention, unions are calling for an urgent pay rise.
The inflation-busting’ pay rise would be to tackle the NHS staffing crisis and increasing waiting times for treatment.
Calling for an “inflation-busting” payrise, unions warned that Omicron-caused work absences, coupled with 93,000 vacancies in England, had shown the NHS was ‘fragile’.
Citing their reasons, unions said staff have “had enough” with many actively seeking alternative employment.
Calls to scrap mandatory vaccinations:
Pressure to delay mandatory vaccines for NHS staff beyond the 1st April deadline increased this weekend as health bosses warned that clearing the backlog would be put at risk. The Deputy Prime Minister, Dominic Raab urged staff who have not had their mandatory vaccines to do so.
In evidence to the independent NHS pay review body, 14 unions representing 1.2million staff – including nurses, midwives, porters and ambulance crews – called for action on pay.
Commenting on the submission of evidence, Unison’s Sara Gorton said: “An above-inflation rise alone isn’t a magic solution to the NHS’s many problems but a decent wage boost could be just the trick to persuade many burnt-out staff to stay.”
In response, The Department of Health and Social Care said NHS staff had had a three per cent pay rise this year, which has increased nurses’ pay by £1,000 on average. It added it “would consider the pay review report carefully.”
Photo Credit: Roo Pitt