There will be no improvement on the deal which was accepted by a majority of NHS unions.
The Health Secretary has clarified that a dedicated pay spine for nursing staff is not “legally possible”.
Earlier this year Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members voted to reject a multi-year pay settlement which controversially included a pledge to consider a separate pay spine for nursing staff in the future.
In an open letter to the RCN published alongside the proposed NHS pay deal, Health Secretary Steve Barclay pledged he would examine the possibility of “a separate pay spine for nursing staff exclusively.”
Speaking to Sky News over the weekend, Mr Barclay has now revealed this “isn’t legally possible”.
He explained, “It’s not possible to give a band six nurse different pay to a band six midwife or a band six paramedic.”
Mr Barclay also said there would be no improvement on the deal which was accepted by a majority of NHS unions.
A fight for fair pay.
The RCN urged its members to accept the proposed settlement, selling a dedicated nursing pay spine as a major benefit.
During pay talks, however, other unions issued a caution that the offer was nothing more than a plan to “discuss the RCN proposal for such a pay spine”
The RCN is currently asking its members to consider strike action.
Launching the ballot, Pat Cullen said, “Once again, we have been forced to ask our members if they want to take to the picket lines in their fight for fair pay.
“This is unfinished business and the government can get it resolved without the need for more strike action.
“Ministers have tried to silence them through the courts as well as in Parliament but we will continue to make sure their voice is heard through the corridors of power.
Ms Cullen continued, “The NHS is fraying at the edges. To improve care and address the shortage, government must bring more people into nursing and keep them there by paying staff fairly.”
