Six in 10 NHS nurses are facing such financial pressures they must turn to credit or savings, a survey by the Royal College of Nursing has found.
The nurses’ union said the rising cost of living over the past year was forcing many nurses to take on extra shifts or even go without food. It fears these pressures will lead many to quit the profession.
Separately, the RCN commissioned London Economics to look at nurses’ pay between 2010-11 and 2023-24, and the consultancy’s analysis found that the value of nurses’ salaries had fallen by 24.63% during that time, thanks to below-inflation pay rises and pay freezes.
According to the RCN’s survey, more than a quarter (27%) were struggling with living costs and worried about their financial situation.
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Seventy-seven per cent said they were worse off than a year ago, 43% said their mental health had been affected by financial problems, and 68% had been forced to ration gas and electricity. For just under a third, it had affected their physical health.
Professor Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said: “Today nursing staff are rationing electricity and gas with financial pressures pushing a third into a state of mental distress.
“Pay has been devalued so much that they are effectively working five days or more for free each month. Ministers who once seemed glad to applaud NHS staff should reflect on this terrible state of affairs.”
In January, the government said it was considering introducing a separate pay scale for nurses in England so there is more transparency over pay rises and progression.
An NHS pay deal of 5% consolidated over two years and a one-off payment was agreed by two unions (Unison and GMB) last year, but rejected by the RCN.
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