Health staff pay rise 'not enough'

Senior nurses will receive the highest rises

Scotland's doctors and nurses have been promised above inflation pay rises, but union chiefs warned that they would not be enough to keep staff in the National Health Service.

Health Minister Susan Deacon said the move reflected the government's efforts in turning round the under-investment in the service.

The announcement was made on Monday afternoon in response to the recommendations of the NHS Pay Review Bodies' Reports for 2001/02.

Who gets what

3.9% rise for salaried doctors and dentists

7% rise in seniority payments for general medical practitioners

3.7% rise for nurses, midwives and health visitors

The pay increases will be met from the health boards' 6.5% average increase in their budgets for next year.

Ms Deacon insisted that pay for all nurses and doctors in Scotland has now increased by 20% in cash terms since 1997.

She added: "Investing in the NHS means investing in NHS staff. Our frontline staff do an excellent job.

"The public values NHS staff. I want the NHS in Scotland to do the same.

Pay rise condemned

"That means we must ensure that pay and conditions are attractive both in terms of recruiting nurses and doctors - and retaining the experienced staff we have already."

But Scotland's largest health service union, Unison, has condemned the 3.7% increase for nurses, midwives and health visitors.

Bridget Hunter, leading officer for nurses with Unison in Scotland, said: "This pay increase will not resolve low pay among the nursing profession.

Susan Deacon made the announcement on Monday

"The average wage for skilled workers in Scotland is £21,000. Even after this increase a qualified nurse, educated to degree level and working in a coronary care until will earn £100 a week less than the average wage of a skilled worker."

She added that nurses who had either left the NHS or the profession altogether would not be enticed back with the rise.

The Royal College of Nursing in Scotland said while the announcement was good for some the basic increase was disappointing.

NHS' backbone

Its secretary James Kennedy said: "On its own it will neither recruit people into the nursing profession nor return nurses back to the NHS.

"Nurses are the backbone of the NHS. They provide 80% of direct patient care and are the single largest group of employees with the health service.

"At present there are as many nursing vacancies in the NHS in Scotland as there are nurses working in the Highlands, Borders and Fife regions combined.

We will train more nurses over the next five years in Scotland - 1,500 more than planned

Susan Deacon, Health Minister

"There are several thousand registered nurses in Scotland who are not currently nursing. They need to be encouraged back in the NHS."

However, Ms Deacon said the NHS has a good record of recruitment and retention in Scotland.

She said that the service north of the Border employs 823 nurses per 100,000 of the population compared with just 631 in England.

Ms Deacon added: "And we will train more nurses over the next five years in Scotland - 1,500 more than planned.

"We expect the number of consultant doctors to rise by 600 over the same period, with further increases in junior doctors.

"But we will continue to work with staff and their representatives to ensure we have the right staff in the right areas to meet Scotland's health needs."