NHS bosses say pay cap puts patient safety at risk

NHS Providers, a body which represents NHS trusts in England, have said that the pay cap on NHS staff of one per cent a year to 2019 must be lifted, as it was causing severe staff retention and recruitment problems, and putting patient safety at risk.

The Public Accounts Committee warned last year that the NHS in England had a shortfall of front-line staff of 50,000, which is around six per cent of the workforce.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said that their members were concerned that patient services were now at risk, adding that stressful working conditions, combined with seven years of pay limitations, were affecting the workforce.

He went on to say “Growing problems of recruitment and retention are making it harder for trusts to ensure patient safety. Unsustainable staffing gaps are quickly opening up.

“Pay is becoming uncompetitive. Significant numbers of trusts say lower paid staff are leaving to stack shelves in supermarkets rather than carry on working in the NHS.”

The Royal College of Nursing say that pay caps and freezes since 2010 have led to a 14 per cent cut in pay, when taking into account the rising cost of living, and they are polling their members on whether they should strike over the pay cap.

Janet Davies, general secretary of the RCN, said “The government cannot ignore this warning from hospital bosses – poor pay for NHS staff damages patient care.

“If it now pays more to stack supermarket shelves than work on the wards, ministers should hang their heads in shame.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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