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An above-inflation increase alone isn ’ t a magic solution to the NHS ’ s many problems . But a decent wage boost could be just the trick to persuade many burnt-out staff to stay .”
It ’ s time to halt NHS staff exodus with a game-changing pay rise , say health unions
The 14 NHS trade unions ( including BAOT / Unison ) have said that the mounting NHS staffing crisis and long waiting times will become permanent unless the government brings in a game-changing retention package , with an inflation-busting pay rise at its heart .
In evidence to the independent NHS pay review body ( NHSPRB ), the 14 unions – representing 1.2 million health staff in England – are calling on ministers to act urgently with a significant wage boost . This would help halt the growing exodus of exhausted staff from the NHS .
Without a decent pay rise this year , the NHS will continue to lose staff at alarming rates , with patients suffering the consequences most .
The joint submission urges the government to ensure the 2022 pay rise both cushions health workers from soaring living costs and enables the NHS to hold on to , and attract , the staff so essential for its post-COVID recovery .
Why are we concerned ?
Unions are concerned the government has , at the time of writing , yet to produce a submission and will not meet its own submission deadline for evidence to the NHSPRB .
If the government does fail to meet the cut-off date , the pay rise for dedicated porters , nurses , occupational therapists , healthcare assistants , midwives , cleaners and other health workers will be further delayed .
The huge number of Omicronrelated work absences among health employees in recent weeks has shown the NHS is in a fragile state . With 93,000 vacancies in England alone , and shortages in every specialism , the NHS can ill afford to lose any more staff .
Our evidence illustrates large numbers of employees have simply had enough . Many are actively seeking alternative employment and others are seriously considering a job move .
18 OTnews February 2022