Responding to the consultant pay offer, Royal College of Nursing Chief Nurse Professor Nicola Ranger said:
“Nursing staff will be appalled by this announcement and where it leaves them. The government has shown it has the political will to reform pay for some of the highest earners in the NHS - while our members are left with the lowest pay rise in the public sector.
“Nursing staff work closely with consultants, and we too have campaigned for years to have quicker progression through the pay scale. This would help recognise nurses’ safety-critical and lifesaving skills, and yet many spend most of their career stuck on the same NHS pay band.
“It’s galling that almost 12 months since nursing staff took the unprecedented decision to strike, our pay dispute remains unresolved, and the government continues to undervalue our profession.
“Today’s news will ignite our members’ fury further, making nursing strikes more likely in the future.”
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