NHS Strikes And Pay In 2023: Why Are Nurses Striking?

With more strike action planned in January, this brief guide aims to clarify a few facts about nursing pay.

The Background

Following NHS strikes across the country in December, more strikes are planned by nurses on 18 and 19 January. That’s because no agreement has been made between trade unions and the government.

But in amongst this news, there is a great deal of noise, debate and misinformation surrounding why NHS nurses are striking.

The strikes, organised by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), are primarily about pay. So this brief guide aims to clarify exactly how we got to this point.

What Are NHS Nurses Paid?

Newly qualified nurses are paid a Band 5 salary, just over £27,000 a year. With 4 years’ experience this salary rises to around £33,000.

Nurses with enough experience can apply for Band 6 positions, with salaries ranging from just under £34,000 and £40,500 a year.

What the average NHS nurse actually earns is contentious because there is no definite and precise figure. That’s because there are so many potential variables within any calculations.

Since 2010, NHS nurse salaries have actually dropped by 10% in ‘real terms’ – that is, in relation to inflation.

However, a broadly agreed average salary is somewhere between £33,000 and £37,000 a year.

What Is The Average UK Salary?

The ONS reported in October 2022 that the average salary for a full-time UK worker across all industries is £33,000 a year.

This means that, broadly speaking, the average nursing salary is similar to the average UK salary.

However, that really only tells a small part of the story.

Take for example the fact that 42% of nurses are on Band 5. That means that quite a large percentage of nurses actually earn less than the UK average salary.

Unsurprisingly, that’s the kind of reality that’s driven the RCN toward strike action.

How Has Nurses’ Pay Changed Over Time?

This, perhaps, is the most important issue of all in understanding why we are where we are.

Nursing pay has simply not kept up with inflation for more than a decade. To put it simply, life has got far more expensive, and salaries haven’t kept up.

Since 2010, NHS nurse salaries have actually dropped by 10% in ‘real terms’ – that is, in relation to inflation.

This is why the RCN and many others are unsatisfied with the approximately 4% pay rise offered in 2022. To them, it doesn’t go far enough in undoing more than 10 years of damage.

It’s also important to note that since 2010 nursing pay has grown more slowly than the private sector and the rest of the public sector.

Are NHS Nurses The Worst Paid In Europe?

Another claim often made is that nurses in the UK now earn less than nurses anywhere else in Europe.

According to the OECD, who are considered the authority on this subject, nurses in the UK are not the worst paid in Europe.

While they certainly aren’t the highest paid, some other countries appear to pay less, including France.

Again however, the whole business of finding average salaries, especially across the whole of Europe, is not an exact science.

What Does The RCN Want?

The RCN is campaigning for a 19% pay rise.

Nurses were given an average increase of 4.75% in 2022, which the RCN says is entirely inadequate. This is of course because of the rapid inflation the UK has faced, and the ensuing cost-of-living crisis.

The government has stated that 19% is unaffordable, so the stalemate continues.

What’s Your View?

As always, we’re eager to hear from the frontline and what nurses feel about the strikes and nursing pay more generally.

So share your views below with the nurses.co.uk community.