NHS pay rebanding: victories prove nurses’ true value
Victories of nurses who have fought to have their roles upgraded – and secured years of back pay in the process – should be repeated elsewhere in the UK. Nurses, with support from their unions, secured Agenda for Change rebanding after protracted processes. Now the article author wants to see proper recognition of the safety-critical contribution of nursing reflected more widely. She argues there needs to be an efficient and importantly fully funded process to achieve this.
Victories of nurses who have fought to have their roles upgraded – and secured years of back pay in the process – should be repeated elsewhere in the UK
A group of nurses have a victory to celebrate this Christmas – and let’s hope what they achieved will be repeated elsewhere.
The more than 100 band 6 district nurses have secured millions of pounds between them in back pay after a long battle to get their employer, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to recognise their value.
Path to proper remuneration has not been smooth, but these nurses have got there
It is no mean feat by the nurses and their unions the RCN and Unison, having first submitted a job evaluation request in 2023, based on a job description agreed a year prior. Since then, there’s been a vote for strike action, a protest and much lobbying over what has been described as breached processes and broken promises to upgrade the nurses to Agenda for Change band 7.
And it’s not over yet, with more staff to be rebanded and receive pay backdated to 1 May 2022. This follows news last month that hundreds of band 5 nurses in Scotland are being upgraded following reviews under their NHS pay deal.
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Recognition that nurses’ roles are safety-critical
These are significant victories in recognition of the clinical and professional skills of these nurses and, more widely, a step towards properly valuing and remunerating the safety-critical role of nurses.
Neither of these processes has been quick or easy but persistence is paying off. Similar successes must now follow in the rest of the UK where progress is glacial even compared with the pace of change in Scotland.
Updated job profiles for bands 4 and above were published in June by the NHS Staff Council following requests by unions back in 2021. It’s now up to employers to review their workforces but there are myriad issues, chiefly funding.
A new report by the RCN shows many nurses are struggle to achieve career progression in the NHS. The college is pushing for newly registered nurses to move up to band 6 after a period of preceptorship and pay structure reforms.
Of course, individuals can always push locally for rebanding, with support from their union, but if nursing’s true worth is to be properly valued then – go figure – we need an efficient, fully funded process.
