Nurses work in a variety of settings both within the NHS and the private and independent sector.
All nursing staff deserve fair pay, good terms and conditions, career development and a safe working environment no matter where they work.
It can be difficult to compete with the pay and benefits within the NHS and this is particularly an issue within social care where pay rates are dictated by commissioner’s budgets and the postcode lottery of local authorities. However, all Independent Health and Social Care (IHSC) employers need to have a pay system that is competitive with the NHS and value the skilled work nurses do.
Additionally, in social care, pay rates are often a lot lower for care assistants and are often set at the national minimum wage or a few pence above.
‘In work poverty’ is real and hitting our amazing care staff and nurses hard. This is simply unacceptable.
