Alison Stacey

As the chanceller Rachel Reeves revealed her first budget for the Labour government with pledges of £22.6 billion over two years for the NHS, nursing staff said they want to see investment in salaries to improve retention rates and workforce numbers. A Nursing Standard poll shows that over half of nurses support demands for a 22% pay rise similar to that granted to junior doctors, which would boost band 5 nurse salaries by up to £7,000 over two years, with only 2% of respondents viewing the current 5.5% award for 2024-25 as acceptable.

NMC fitness to practise panel strikes off mental health nurse who failed to visit vulnerable patient on a regular basis, keep accurate records or carry out effective care planning, which led to the patient being found in a ‘horrific’ state in their home and requiring hospitalisation. The nurse, who worked at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, also failed to provide a ‘coherent and clear handover’ to colleagues when she left the role

Nearly three quarters of RCN members in Wales who voted in a consultation have rejected the 5.5% pay award on offer for 2024-25. This comes after nursing staff in England also rejected the offer. The RCN has called for ‘urgent talks to address pay restoration’ and says the award does not recognise the value, expertise and critical responsibility of nursing staff.

A psychiatric liaison nurse with more than £80k in student debts warns that the UK government’s plans to increase tuition fees could ramp up the nursing recruitment and retention crisis. Nursing leaders warn of ‘terrible financial pressures’ already faced by undergraduates, while the RCN called the move to increase fees a ‘significant blow’ to nursing students and nurse education.

Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust has served eviction notices to dozens of staff members after deciding to ‘mothball’ flats rather than pay for fire safety improvements it says are unaffordable. Residents, including one nursing assistant who has lived there for 12 years, say they have struggled to gain access to the safety report. MP Sarah Champion has written to the trust, calling the decision ‘short-sighted’, and RCN and British Medical Association (BMA) representatives joined residents and local campaigners at a protest outside Rotherham Hospital.

A trainee nurse suspended for two and a half years after a patient falsely claimed said she was pregnant with his child has won a claim of unfair dismissal. An employment tribunal rejected Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's argument that she left to pursue a new career as a social media influencer

A trainee nurse suspended for two and a half years after a patient falsely claimed said she was pregnant with his child has won a claim of unfair dismissal. An employment tribunal rejected Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's argument that she left to pursue a new career as a social media influencer

A trainee nurse suspended for two and a half years after a patient falsely claimed said she was pregnant with his child has won a claim of unfair dismissal. An employment tribunal rejected Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust's argument that she left to pursue a new career as a social media influencer

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting will tell staff at NHS Providers conference in England that trusts could be banned from spending on agency staff covering posts at bands 2 and 3. He will add that ‘failing’ senior NHS managers who run big deficits or offer poor services will be ineligible for pay rises.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council has warned healthcare employers to make stringent identity checks when hiring new staff, highlighting patient safety implications. The call comes after it investigated six cases where registered nurses’ details have been used by non-nurses to secure jobs as nurses and midwives and hospital trusts and agencies in England.