The immense financial pressure on NHS nurses

A large new survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has shed light on the dire situation currently faced by NHS nursing staff. With no real-terms wage increases in recent years, a Band 5 staff nurse in England is £2,440 worse off each year when compared to 2010/11. As a result of this, budget cuts and workload changes, 37 percent of nurses say that they are currently looking for a new job.

Due to the financial pressures, almost a quarter of nurses have taken on additional paid work just to help make ends meet. A worrying 40 percent have had to borrow money from family, friends, or a financial institution. The results have been released ahead of next week's budget where it is hoped he will seek to address the issue of public sector pay.