'Super nurse' posts unfilled

Middle grade nurses are still deserting the profession

Nursing unions are disappointed that a quarter of the new so-called "super nurse" posts in England have not been filled, according to a survey.

The poll for the BBC's Ten O'Clock News also shows that the majority of salaries for the nurse consultants are far below the top pay rate of £43,000 promised by the government.

The "super nurse" post was created last year to try to keep top NHS nurses in the profession, caring for patients.

They are not offering good enough salaries to entice people away

Christine Hancock
Royal College of Nursing

They act as troubleshooters, taking their expertise on to the wards and training junior colleagues.

The job has been created to boost morale among senior nurses and to encourage middle grades, who are deserting the profession, to stay on.

The survey examined the first wave of posts created, a total of 188 positions.

It found that 137 of these had been filled, leaving 51 - more than a quarter - empty.

Pay problem

Pay levels were also considered, as higher pay was billed as one of the key attractions of the nurse consultant posts.

While 48% were being paid more than £35,000 and 2% received more than £40,000, half of those surveyed were paid less than £35,000 - barely more than colleagues with fewer responsibilities.

Christine Hancock of the Royal College of Nursing, said many employers were trying to get the posts filled on the cheap.

They can have a big impact in improving the quality of patient care

Lord Hunt
Health minister

"They are not offering good enough salaries to entice people away who are not some poor nurse that's just started, they are already experts," she said.

The "super nurse" scheme is one of the government's flagship NHS initiatives to keep experienced staff at the bedside.

Sheila Adam, an intensive care specialist with 20 years experience, was one of the first nurses to become a nurse consultant, based at London's University College Hospital.

She said becoming a "super nurse" was the only way she could have remained in frontline care.

"I think the only alternatives for me would be either to go into management or a corporate level of working, or to look at education and the academic side, both of which would have taken me away from the immediate patient care," she said.

More nurse consultant posts are planned, but the BBC's health correspondent Karen Allen said the apparent difficulty in filling posts suggests that many at the NHS have not yet been convinced of the effectiveness of the new role.

But Health minister Lord Hunt said: "They can have a big impact in improving the quality of patient care."