NHS staff one per cent pay cap ‘unsustainable’

Former Health Secretary Stephen Dorrell has told Sky News that the current one per cent cap for NHS staff could harm patient care.

Dorrell, now chairman of the NHS Confederation, said the cap, if applied for the full five-year course of this Parliament, would be ‘unsustainable’ and is limiting employers' ability to recruit and retain staff.

The Royal College of Nurses (RCN) has contended that the pay restraint equates to a 14 per cent pay cut in real terms, and is fuelling a recruitment crisis in the NHS. They will hold nationwide protests over the pay cap.

Dorrell said: “I absolutely think that the one per cent pay cap if applied throughout this parliament is not sustainable, and it's not compatible with delivering high quality health care. The RCN will make that point on behalf of nurses, and other trade unions will do the same on behalf of their members, but it is important to recognise it is not just a trade union point-of-view. It is the view of employers within the system so they can compete for and retain the commitment of high quality staff, and deliver high-quality healthcare.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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