Coronavirus (Non-Politics)

[Ricey]

Without getting political about it all, what do we think is a fair pay rise for our NHS staff?

 

[blueblueblue]

Without getting political about it all, what do we think is a fair pay rise for our NHS staff?

I'm glad you mention the political thing, I do try and stay away from it, however in the case, it's hard not to talk about it.

It's a difficult one, it really is. I thought about a thank you bonus depending where you work within the NHS, ie, if you work in the ICU you get a thank you bonus of 5k (tax free) eg. That said, every member of the NHS and care workers have been putting there own lives at risk over the last year. I'd say, anything less than at least 4% would be wrong.

 

[johnlattimerssponge]

Without getting political about it all, what do we think is a fair pay rise for our NHS staff?

In an ideal world I would love to give them 5% at least but we know that is not the situation at the moment. Think they have been amazing for the last year in this pandemic but in reality there was always a possibility this could happen in there chosen career so not sure how with so many others loosing jobs and the cost of COVID a bigger rise could be justified personally.

 

[blueblueblue]

In an ideal world I would love to give them 5% at least but we know that is not the situation at the moment. Think they have been amazing for the last year in this pandemic but in reality there was always a possibility this could happen in there chosen career so not sure how with so many others loosing jobs and the cost of COVID a bigger rise could be justified personally.

I couldn't agree with you more, I just feel 1% is an insult.

I honestly think if the British public were asked to pay 0.25 extra TAX (this year) to pay for the NHS and care workers pay rise they would.

 

[southendkid]

Without getting political about it all, what do we think is a fair pay rise for our NHS staff?

Inflation is projected to be 1.5% this year so at the very least it should be that otherwise in real terms NHS staff will actually be earning less than they did this year despite their 1% increase in pay.

I'd like to see lower paid members of staff on the frontlines getting at least 3% though, even if managers etc. just received 1.5%.

 

[jackj13]

Sorry to change topic but this seems like good news.

EXCLUSIVE-Oxford study indicates AstraZeneca effective against Brazil variant, source says | Health

The information comes as a small-sample study suggested the COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac may not work effectively against the Brazilian variant. Responding to a request for comment, Fiocruz, which sent the samples that formed the basis of the study, told Reuters it did not have...

www.devdiscourse.com

 

[Member]

Inflation is projected to be 1.5% this year so at the very least it should be that otherwise in real terms NHS staff will actually be earning less than they did this year despite their 1% increase in pay.

I'd like to see lower paid members of staff on the frontlines getting at least 3% though, even if managers etc. just received 1.5%.

NHS pay has fallen around 8% in real terms in the last 10 years. I think they should get a 10% pay increase, and all NHS staff should earn a living wage at the very least.

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

NHS pay has fallen around 8% in real terms in the last 10 years. I think they should get a 10% pay increase, and all NHS staff should earn a living wage at the very least.

Agreed.Any decent health system worldwide is paying their NHS about 10% of its GDP, so 10% sounds about right.

 

[Ricky Otto]

NHS pay has fallen around 8% in real terms in the last 10 years. I think they should get a 10% pay increase, and all NHS staff should earn a living wage at the very least.

This hits the nail on the head for me, they have been underpaid for so long and in reality gone backwards. I wouldn't moan about a tax increase that directly went to upping their wages and I don't think I'm in a minority. It baffles me because this is the perfect time to do it, public support couldn't be higher

 

[Holy Joe]

I'm glad you mention the political thing, I do try and stay away from it, however in the case, it's hard not to talk about it.

It's a difficult one, it really is. I thought about a thank you bonus depending where you work within the NHS, ie, if you work in the ICU you get a thank you bonus of 5k (tax free) eg. That said, every member of the NHS and care workers have been putting there own lives at risk over the last year. I'd say, anything less than at least 4% would be wrong.

Remember the NHS also employs many office/admin staff, HR, accountants, managers etc. So I think it's abit of a sweeping statement to say all NHS staff have risked their lives and deserve a pay rise. Not sure how to define the 'frontline' or maybe the lower payscales get a much higher rise? Overall 1% is an insult to the nurses/dr's etc

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

I am very happy for hands on NHS staff to get an above inflation pay rise.
I am not so keen on the quite large numbers of managers who are in some cases on 100k p.a. getting such a rise, nor on many of the admin staff who have worked from home etc.
And I especially would like to see the cleaners and maintenance people, porters and such get classed in with " hands on" as they are in the wards, cleaning the crap, literally.

 

[Member]

I am not so keen on the quite large numbers of managers who are in some cases on 100k p.a.

Why?

Market rate for many of these c-suite executives may be multiples of this in the private sector with similar levels of responsibility. I agree that the gulf between the top and bottom earners (in both public and private sectors) is obscene, but the private sector drives this and the public sector has to pay these wages to ensure they have highly skilled and experienced people leading complex organisations.

Only around 3% of NHS staff earn more than £100k, of which many are highly experienced clinicians.

The solution is to tax these highest earners more.

 

[Member]

Also I've moaned about this before, but the distinction between "hands on" and "hands off" NHS staff is really disrespectful.

Nurse and Doctors typically want to do patient-facing work. They can't be freed up to do that if they don't have a backroom of managers and administrators and other skilled professionals and support staff. These jobs may not be particularly exciting, but they're critical to ensuring a complex system works. Even more so during an unprecedented pandemic. It's no good having lots of well paid and trained nurses and doctors when the bottle neck is ensuring ward beds are available and ventilators sourced. The vaccine roll-out is a logistical miracle. This isn't being organised (directly) by doctors and nurses.

Love to see you go up to someone who's played a critical role in organising the NHS's response to the pandemic and tell them that they weren't actually on the front line and therefore you don't deserve a payrise to ensure your salary meets inflation.

Absolutely staggering from someone who's view I respect on here.

 

[Tinks]

Without getting political about it all, what do we think is a fair pay rise for our NHS staff?

We would all love a decent pay rise and there is some anger among some of my colleagues but, I regard myself as very lucky as all through this pandemic I have had a reliable job with a regular income. Yes I was a little peeved when I saw people down the beach in the summer whilst being "furloughed" but I am sure a lot of those people would have preferred to have been in work.

Rather than a pay rise maybe they should have given all the front line staff a one-off bonus and I include the porters, reception staff, administrators and cleaners in this.
Most nurses will not strike and I count myself in that but, if they are not going to give us a pay rise then I hope that applies across the board in all industries including government.

we are now doing people second vaccines and our clinics remain very full.

 

[rigsby]

The answer is very simple...Privatise it. They would get better pay and those they really care about there health would have a much better service. The country would be much healthier.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

It is off covid subject and almost politics but I believe a royal commission, or such, is being planned to look at how the NHS is being run is strongly rumoured.
And the NHS is huge, with so many roles and stresses. What is the factor between lowest paid and top level pay? My suspicion is that it is a factor of 10 with lowest wage less than 20k and highest being over 200k £. And in my opinion that is not the way a public funded organisation should be run.
I also suggest that an organisation with so many employees ought not to have a single pay award deal but, as in private companies, separate deals based on many criteria. There is already a London allowance isn't there?
I do not agree with Riggers call to privatisation, and for sure there are many very good administrators.

 

[blueblueblue]

The answer is very simple...Privatise it. They would get better pay and those they really care about there health would have a much better service. The country would be much healthier.

seriously, is your purpose in life, to say things just to **** people off?

 

[maninasuitcase]

When many nurses are having to resort to food banks to put food on the table then we know they are being underpaid.

It would seem, to me anyway, that the government relies on nursing being a 'calling' rather than a profession to pay them as little as they can get away with.

The Pay Review Board is supposed to come to an independent judgement so why have it if they are going to ignore the recommendation?

When it comes to MPs and ministers own pay rises, they are very quick to accept the findings of their own Pay Review Board pointing it is an independent body and therefore they must take the award.

 

[GNH]

More encouraging news today with rates less than 6k cases today.

This is great news when you consider during the second wave peak we were finding 70-80,000 cases per day.

To put some further perspective to this during the peak of ~75k cases per day we were carrying out around 400k tests per day. Today's sub 6k cases are against daily tests numbering 992,812. Yes nearly a million tests. The positive ratio is extremely low.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Over Priory Park this afternoon about dozen or so lads, about 14 to 16 yrs were playing basketball in the court there.
Next Monday they are back in school associating in a similar way s, in many ways, lockdown for them is over.
And really, right or wrong, for them the restrictions will be harder to understand.

When do Uni students go back?