A quarter of nurses hold down two jobs

ONE in four nurses has taken up a second job to boost their pay.

Many are taking on additional work with agencies where hourly rates are higher than permanent posts. But some have jobs outside of nursing, including in restaurants, bars and supermarkets.

The survey of 7,720 staff by the Royal College of Nursing also found 2 per cent had used food banks or charities in the past year. The college said many were facing severe hardship due to a pay freeze.

A typical ‘ middle grade’ nurse earns £26,370 a year – little more than the £25,206 average of 2010/11. The RCN says this is a pay cut of £2,440 once inflation is taken into account.

‘The shocking findings we’re highlighting today demonstrate just how severe the financial pressure on nursing staff has now become,’ said chief executive Janet Davies.

‘It is ludicrous that the Health Service is losing valuable highly-trained staff simply because they can’t pay the bills at the end of the month.

‘What people don’t realise is that a large part of the efficiency savings the NHS has managed to make have only come from hard- pressed staff having their pay reduced every year in real terms.

‘No wonder the Health Service is short of 40,000 nurses in England alone.’

The survey found that 40 per cent of nurses had borrowed from friends, family or the bank to supplement their earnings. Another 6 per cent had taken out a payday loan and 50 per cent worked overtime in their current job.

Twenty-three per cent had a second job and, of these, 16 per cent were employed in non-nursing work.