The government has rewarded nurses with above-inflation pay rises for the second year running - but will it attract more to the profession?

Even nurse leaders were not finding much to criticise in Health Secretary Alan Milburn's pay deal on Monday.

Even the standard rise of 3.4% is above the inflation rate - and unlike the first year of the Labour parliament, the rises will be paid in full in April, and not staged, which cuts the net amount they get.

However, although most agreed that it was a step in the right direction, those outside the grades which received the biggest rises still say they feel 'undervalued' by the NHS.

Last year it was the newly qualified grade nurses who benefited from a pay hike - this time it is the turn of the experienced staff nurses.

Their rise of 7.8% takes their minimum pay to £15,920, and the maximum to £19,220.

This is close to the range offered in similar public professions such as teaching, but Christine Hancock, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, warned that there was still a long way to go before the profession was properly valued.

The other winners in this year's settlement were experience enrolled and auxilliary nurses, who received a 7% rise.

This means a minimum of £12,135 and a maximum of £14,890 - an increase of almost £1,000 at the highest rate.

Evidence of growth

Prior to last year's day deal, nurse leaders complained of 12,000 unfilled vacancies in the NHS, and the vacancy rate is still high.

Although two years of above-inflation rises have increased the number of nurses both joining and returning to the NHS, the flow of nurses - particularly those with experience - out of the health service is still steady.

This winter the effects of the flu were felt more keenly because of both a shortage of experienced nurses, accompanied by many falling prey to the illness themselves.

The Royal College of Nursing agrees that more money, combined with encouragement for more "family friendly" staffing policies, will begin to solve the nurse shortage which is affecting all parts of the NHS.

But it adds that much more is required before the status of nurses is properly recognised.