Politicians did only enough to save their own skins during strikes by nurses, a union leader has claimed, meaning there was just modest progress in NHS pay and staffing in 2023.
Pat Cullen, the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said Westminster stopped well short of the “revolution needed”.
In a new year’s message, she urged half a million RCN members to “again push ministers further than they want to go” in 2024, broadening the union’s campaign to include seeking commitments on safe staffing levels as well as a fair pay rise for nurses.
“We were on picket lines across the country either side of last Christmas and we’d never been louder as a profession – pushed there because nobody was listening but very firmly believing something positive would come out of it all,” Cullen told members.
“Politicians only granted us modest progress – enough to save their own skins but not the revolution that nursing needs and patients deserve. Would we do it over again? Yes, by your actions you forced ministers to announce a top-up on the previous year’s pay settlement and give more than they had wanted to for the current year.
“Me and other RCN negotiators got every penny they were ever going to give – and that was real money in your banks when it’s really been needed most – but their desire to fix nursing was simply not as strong as ours. What’s your appetite to campaign for more? Not just a pay rise but a big commitment to improve staffing levels and patient safety.
“2024 is a general election year and every party will be challenged by the RCN to demonstrate clear vision and hard cash for nursing, the NHS and social care. Let’s make sure we again push ministers further than they want to go.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We hugely value the hard work of NHS nurses, which is why we provided a 5% pay rise and two significant one-off awards – worth over £2,000 on average for full-time nurses.
“This deal, which the RCN recommended its members accept, also included a number of commitments to deliver a series of reforms to improve working conditions. We have recruited more than 50,000 extra nurses compared to 2019 – hitting our target early – and the long-term workforce plan will ensure the NHS has the staff it needs over the next 15 years so patients continue to receive the best possible care.”
PA Media contributed to this report
