Our nurses deserve a fair wage

Nurses are at breaking point. There are currently 24,000 unfilled nursing jobs in the UK. And it is no surprise.

The job is hard enough as it is. But a combination of gruelling hours and low pay means many are looking elsewhere for work.

People who would normally become nurses are being put off entering the profession at all. It’s not difficult to see why. For the sixth year in a row, nurses have been offered a below-inflation pay rise.

This comes at a time when the cost of living is soaring.

And it means they are struggling more than ever. Thousands are taking out payday loans.

Many are turning to hardship funds to try to make ends meet. It’s a desperate time for them. Now the Royal College of Nursing is asking members about strike action.

CRITICAL

This would be the first time in its history it had considered such a step. It’s not a decision that is being taken lightly.

Nurses go through years of training to do the job they love. And despite the terrible conditions, the last thing they want is to stop doing it.

But the situation is critical. The Government must step in and recognise the plight of nurses.

The fact that 24,000 jobs are vacant must tell ministers something.

Even the independent NHS pay review board is telling officials that their forecasts are wrong.

Nurses are thousands of pounds behind where they should be. And these are the people who do a vital job. They treat patients with the very best care, protect their dignity, and dedicate their lives to looking after the sick. It’s time the Government readjusted its position. At a time when MPs are being given a pay rise of more than £1,000 a year, surely nurses, of all people, deserve one too.