UPDATES

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced that the government will approve a 5.5% pay rise for nurses in England. In a speech in Parliament the chancellor said she had accepted the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Body in full.

Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor, Nicola Ranger, said: ‘When it comes to pay in the NHS, all professional groups deserve a clear route to fair pay restoration – making up for a very serious loss of earnings in the last 15 years. Stagnant salaries at a time of spiralling prices forced too many to leave and deterred others from joining.

‘We do not begrudge doctors their pay rise. We work together closely, in the interests of our patients. What we ask for is the same fair treatment from government.

‘Our members will vote on whether they see [the] announcement as enough of a start on our journey. When the full details are released, it must show that the funding is being made available to the NHS and all employers who deliver NHS services. Nurses are the ever-present, safety critical workforce across the whole of health and care. Our wages do not reflect that and still won't after today. We will be pushing government to show us their plans for improving NHS pay – it is vital to recruit and retain nursing staff, fill tens of thousands of vacant nurse jobs and give people the care they deserve.’