Nurses' pay on health agenda

The health minister (left) has promised to make changes

The leader of one of Scotland's main nursing unions has urged the Scottish Executive to increase investment in the health service.

The Scottish organiser of Unison, Jim Devine, said that patient care was suffering because staff were under stress and demoralised.

His comments came as the union published the results of a survey which suggested that more than half of its members in nursing and midwifery have seriously considered leaving the NHS.

Unison's survey followed work commissioned by the Royal College of Nursing which painted a similar picture of a profession under increasing pressure.

Unison has called for more investment

The latest study suggested the majority of nurses and midwives felt undervalued, underpaid and overworked.

More than 80% of those questioned believed their workload had grown, with most convinced that difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff lay at the heart of the problem.

Unison insisted a significant overall pay increase was essential if the government was serious about creating a world-class health service in Scotland.

Mr Devine said: "Pay is crucial for government plans to modernise the NHS. You can't run a world-class health service on the cheap.

"And you can't deliver expert patient care when staff are under stress and demoralised.

The reality is that nurses' pay is not attracting recruits in sufficient numbers

Jim Devine
Unison

"This survey shows that there is a reality gap between government claims and what nurses believe actually happening.

"The reality is that nurses' pay is not attracting recruits in sufficient numbers, leading to decreased staffing levels and frequent staff shortages.

"The NHS is heavily dependent on temporary and agency staff to keep it going. Increasingly many trusts are looking overseas for nurses, but these short term, quick fix solutions do not solve the underlying problem.

"Urgent action is needed to boost recruitment, which is why Unison are calling for a significant overall increase for all staff."

The executive said it recognised that pay was a major factor but insisted it was not the only answer.

Health Minister Susan Deacon has already announced plans for a nursing summit next month to discuss recruitment issues and consider what can be done to stop existing nurses abandoning their careers in the NHS.

On Monday, the minister welcomed news that junior doctors' working hours had been reduced.

Figures released by the executive suggested that 97% of pre-registration house officers were working 56 hours per week - compared to just 13% back in March.