[News] 1% Pay Rise for Nurses.

[Deadly Danson]

Disgusting of course. As will be the apologists who will be along in a minute to say we simply can't afford it.

 

[lawros left foot]

Does anyone actually believe, hand on heart, they gave £22 billion to a consultancy? I see it trotted out quite a lot, generally by people who despise the current government whatever they do. It simply isn't true.
Track and trace for a population of 60million is a huge task, I'm not surprise it's expensive to run.

https://fullfact.org/health/local-national-contact-tracing/

(Reuters) - The British government announced a 7-billion-pound increase in funding for its COVID-19 testing and contact tracing system on Monday, as part of an expanded programme of mass testing and plans to test frontline staff more regularly.

The 'Test and Trace' system has been heavily criticised after a series of high-profile failures since its launch earlier this year, and ministers concede it has not performed as well as they had hoped.

Nevertheless, the government is banking on enhanced testing programmes as an important prong of its strategy to ease the economic burden of lockdowns and restrictions that have been implemented to control the spread of the virus.

This strategy is backed by an additional 7 billion pounds for NHS (National Health Service) Test and Trace to increase testing and continue to improve contact tracing, taking the overall funding provided for Test and Trace this financial year to 22 billion pounds," the government said in its COVID-19 winter plan, published on Monday.

The government wants to roll-out rapid testing to frontline healthcare, social care and other high risk staff, and expand pilot programmes which have sought to test large numbers of people in a single area to identify asymptomatic cases.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set out new measures on Monday to replace a COVID-19 lockdown in England from Dec. 2, reinforcing a previous regional approach to try to reopen businesses where infection rates are lower.



The Government have admitted that Serco track and trace has cost £22 billion.

 

[Chicken Run]

Certainly didn't appreciate that nurses salaries were so low in the first place - £24k starting salary and an average of £34k for what they do seems meagre to me. How do they survive on as little as that?

It's little wonder we find it hard to attract nursing staff and care workers into the sector. We've largely been bailed our by our fellow Europeans in the past but something has to give if we are to attract new staff into the NHS even more so since Brexit.

Suspect though that if a strike was called and they all suddenly upped and picketed that they'd certainly be some compromise by the Government. Let's hope so.

Question I’d ask is why young people would go into Nursing, apart from the obvious that they want to make a difference to society, give care and rehabilitation, mend and support people through their most traumatic stages of life, of course but no one seriously enters the profession for financial reasons do they?

 

[beorhthelm]

a) £22 billion for a track & trace system that doesn't work, straight into the pockets of a consultancy run by chums of the people in government.

That's £22,000,000,000

The Government have admitted that Serco track and trace has cost £22 billion.

its £22bn on test and trace, the vast majority of which is on testing. think its important to stop repeating twitter myths, when the NAO report is easily available to read.
https://www.nao.org.uk/report/the-governments-approach-to-test-and-trace-in-england-interim-report/

we should defiantly be questioning ongoing need for further testing, after vaccination programme completes this should end.

 

[Ooh it’s a corner]

Does anyone actually believe, hand on heart, they gave £22 billion to a consultancy? I see it trotted out quite a lot, generally by people who despise the current government whatever they do. It simply isn't true.
Track and trace for a population of 60million is a huge task, I'm not surprise it's expensive to run.

https://fullfact.org/health/local-national-contact-tracing/

[MENTION=232]Simster[/MENTION]’s points are spot on though imo. The point is that the contract went to one of Hancock’s pals and the money has been WASTED because the system has been a mess!

If the money had been better spent there would be more available for the wholly justifiable pay rise that the nurses fully deserve.

I am in a similar sense of bewilderment to him that the great British public would still stick with the present Govt in the next election

 

[RossyG]

Two separate issues here. Corruption in government, local and national, which needs to be fully investigated and properly dealt with.

And the NHS pay rise. 1% is lousy, but it's mind-boggling and scary how in debt we are. I can't see anyone getting decent pay rises for the foreseeable future (apart from the usual suspects who have ridiculous amounts of money thrown at them in bonuses. Bankers, for example).

I don't see it as an insult(*), more a portent of a grim economic future.

(*) Boris and co may not want to pay high wages to NHS workers, but they know that politically it's not a good look for them at the best of times. It'll certainly be a stick to beat them with.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Question I’d ask is why young people would go into Nursing, apart from the obvious that they want to make a difference to society, give care and rehabilitation, mend and support people through their most traumatic stages of life, of course but no one seriously enters the profession for financial reasons do they?

Quick check it appears the average pay is £33-36k obviously after training, not sure how accurate that is. If it is that's not a bad wage albeit for an intense job.

However nursing, unless your progressive in the role, has always had that element of care over pay. Like so many such roles they don't perhaps get the rewards they deserve especially when compared to others who sit there all day earning fortunes doing not a lot.

 

[GT49er]

Certainly didn't appreciate that nurses salaries were so low in the first place - £24k starting salary and an average of £34k for what they do seems meagre to me. How do they survive on as little as that?

It's little wonder we find it hard to attract nursing staff and care workers into the sector. We've largely been bailed our by our fellow Europeans in the past but something has to give if we are to attract new staff into the NHS even more so since Brexit.

Suspect though that if a strike was called and they all suddenly upped and picketed that they'd certainly be some compromise by the Government. Let's hope so.

If in your world £34K a year isn't much, your a lucky person. Plenty of us survive on a good deal less than that.

 

[Chicken Run]

Quick check it appears the average pay is £33-36k obviously after training, not sure how accurate that is. If it is that's not a bad wage albeit for an intense job.

However nursing, unless your progressive in the role, has always had that element of care over pay. Like so many such roles they don't perhaps get the rewards they deserve especially when compared to others who sit there all day earning fortunes doing not a lot.

Well the good news is the earnings are known well in advance so it shouldn’t shock those interested in the career, the below is a C & P from health careers nhs. It seems plenty of young people are interested despite the low financial reward.

‘Waiting lists to get into schools are common, with some aspiring nurses biding their time as long as 6 years before they can begin their nursing classes. At least one program has put a temporary stop on applications altogether.’

 

[Chicken Run]

If in your world £34K a year isn't much, your a lucky person. Plenty of us survive on a good deal less than that.

I know I’m pleased I’m not the only one thinking that!

 

[Cpt. Spavil]

Its a disgrace to give them 1%. The deserve a large payrise

They should give all MP's minimum wage as all they seem to do is sit on there fat arses doing **** all.

MP's have it too easy, they can get a very nice meal in the Downing street restaurant for about £6.00 if you have the same at any other place it would cost £15-20

 

[blue-shifted]

Insulting wage rise for the NHS.

And has as been pointed out, it wasn't announced. It was buried in a 1000 page document. Sunak said he's levelling with us at the same time as burying this deep. Coward.

I understand that the national finances are screwed.

I'll happily vote for a party which proposes to raise income tax, as i'm happy to put in for this and to clear the national debt we've accumulated

 

[SAC]

It's a ridiculous insult to the nurses and the Tories will regret it if implemented. Nurses wont strike but they could stop overtime which would have huge implications for the vaccination programme.

 

[Chicken Run]

Insulting wage rise for the NHS.

And has as been pointed out, it wasn't announced. It was buried in a 1000 page document. Sunak said he's levelling with us at the same time as burying this deep. Coward.

I understand that the national finances are screwed.

I'll happily vote for a party which proposes to raise income tax, as i'm happy to put in for this and to clear the national debt we've accumulated

Good points you raise, what sort of job do you do?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I respect your view but I wouldn’t be so sure, many of us who have had to work through this pandemic have lost wages, lost jobs, relationships and future security.

Ask those people what they think about a Nurses strike.

Which people should I ask? The ones out beating pots and pans once a week in support of the NHS? The ones that helped Captain Sir Tom Moore raise £30M for the NHS? The ones with multiple family members suffering piss-poor wages in the NHS and Social Care sectors? Nobody's had it easy this past year my friend, but some people have been on the very sharpest end of the front line throughout and it's hard to see anyone other than the terminally hard-hearted turning on them anytime soon

 

[Chicken Run]

Which people should I ask? The ones out beating pots and pans once a week in support of the NHS? The ones that helped Captain Sir Tom Moore raise £30M for the NHS? The ones with multiple family members suffering piss-poor wages in the NHS and Social Care sectors? Nobody's had it easy this past year my friend, but some people have been on the sharp end of the front line throughout and it's hard to see anyone other than the terminally hard-hearted turning on them anytime soon

Oh well, we will see[emoji106]

 

[RossyG]

Just checked. Our national debt is around £2.5 trillion.

That's £2,500,000,000,000.

£37,000 for ever man, woman, and child in this country.

That's staggering.

MPs should actually announce a pay cut if they want us to think they're in it together with us.

 

[Richy_Seagull]

Incredible that this thread has Tory voters actually trying to defend this.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Sorry, but if this was so expensive and a huge task (which it is and was) then it should have gone to public tender. It should not have just been awarded to chums and then justified by the "emergency measures" dictat. That is corruption in action.

Usually I'd agree, but in this case there wasn't time for a public tender. They take months, this had to be rolled out instantly. It was always going to be a serco or a G4S type company who are big enough to run something on this scale.
If you've ever worked on government contracts you'll know companies have to be on a certain framework to tender in the first place, the public tender process is already a closed shop.

 

[blue-shifted]

Good points you raise, what sort of job do you do?

Don't want to say, but not in the NHS or public sector. My salary is below the national average