Overview

• New RCN research shows nurses’ average pay is £8,000 lower than if it had kept pace with inflation since 2010, with junior staff facing a 21% cut at entry level.
• Tens of thousands of nursing staff are voting on the government-backed 3.6% pay award, the smallest increase offered across NHS roles.
• RCN executive director Patricia Marquis says direct negotiations are the only way to prevent walkouts by nursing staff.
• Other NHS workers, including consultants and resident doctors, have secured pay uplifts of between 4% and 5.4% in this cycle.
• Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike from July 25 after the Department of Health and Social Care agreed to meet the British Medical Association.