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Original poster

'Nurses are well paid for the job'

346 replies

Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/03/2021 19:09

An MP said this today, in responce to the debate surrounding the 1% pay rise. Im a nurse, and I know what I think (that the pay is ok, not terrible but not fantastic), im really interested to know what others think?

OP posts:
WhoEatsPopTarts · 09/03/2021 19:10

How much is a nurse paid on average?

Original poster
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/03/2021 19:12

For a brand new 'band 5' nurse the starting salary is about 24k. More if you work in London.

OP posts:
RedGoldAndGreene · 09/03/2021 19:14

Considering how much study and training is involved I disagree. I earned £24k out of uni and it was a job that didn't really need a degree.

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Original poster
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/03/2021 19:14

Those are the nurses you would probably come across on the ward if you've ever been an inpatient, to put it in a bit more context

OP posts:
Wishitsnows · 09/03/2021 19:16

I think they are reasonably paid.

Siepie · 09/03/2021 19:16

I think the starting salary is good, compared to other jobs you can get straight after a 3 year degree.

After that I don't know how quickly people tend to move up the pay scale or what opportunities for progression there are, but from what I've heard I think I'd agree with you that the pay isn't terrible but could definitely be a lot better.

DP is a doctor and definitely thinks nurses should be paid a lot more than they are, given the amount of work they do and how often they save lives or prevent serious incidents from happening.

MorePotatoSalad · 09/03/2021 19:18

That's ok I think, average UK salary is about 27k I think. The pensions are good in public sector too. I am not public sector - the max my employer puts in is 7.5%.

Saying this though, I think 1% is a bit low given that tax thresholds are about to freeze after this year. I'd support a higher payrise for nurses this year or another one next year. Let's be honest we wouldn't be here were it not for nurses. Boris has had some kind of amnesia from his time in ICU.

happytoday73 · 09/03/2021 19:19

My opinion would be similar... Not horrible, not fantastic, lots of different career options/specialities and a pension that might not be as good as was but much better than most private ones...

1% is poor..... MP should have no increase and removal of subsidised meals/drink. This would give more money to pot for nurses

Original poster
Letsallscreamatthesistene · 09/03/2021 19:20

Top level 'band 5' nurses would be paid about 30k. There are 7 pay increments for band 5 nurses, and you'd reach a new pay increment annually. So it'd take 7 years to work up to top band 5 pay.

OP posts:
Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:21

@RedGoldAndGreene

Considering how much study and training is involved I disagree. I earned £24k out of uni and it was a job that didn't really need a degree.
Wow. London wages? Where I come from I don't think there are many jobs that pay £24k to a 21 year old that doesn't need a degree. 24k is very good as a starting salary, similar to a teacher's wage and allows you to buy a house at a young age.
Reallybadidea · 09/03/2021 19:22

I think it very much depends on the particular job role. Nurse working in outpatients - excellent pay what they do. ITU nurse - shockingly underpaid.

Also depends on geographical area - it makes little sense for nurses to be paid the same, regardless of where they live (outside London). This causes real problems with recruitment and retention in some areas.

Despite Agend for Change, there's also still far too much variation in banding, with lots of examples of the same role being banded differently depending on the Trust.

Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:22

@Letsallscreamatthesistene

Top level 'band 5' nurses would be paid about 30k. There are 7 pay increments for band 5 nurses, and you'd reach a new pay increment annually. So it'd take 7 years to work up to top band 5 pay.
So the pay progression is really good. There are also some extremely highly paid nurses aren't there? They get into the news sometimes. I don't know how common it is to reach those high wages though.
mendandmakedo · 09/03/2021 19:22

The working conditions are bad this was precovid. Nurses not able to do the job as well as they would like as not enough staff etc. Therefore the job is very hard for the salary. Most ward nurses are band 5 so often the quoted salary is not reflective of average nurse pay.

SeaWitchly · 09/03/2021 19:23

Where on earth in London can you buy a house on $24k?

Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:24

@RedGoldAndGreene

Considering how much study and training is involved I disagree. I earned £24k out of uni and it was a job that didn't really need a degree.
New nurses need to have degrees, but there are many still working who don't.
Sexnotgender · 09/03/2021 19:24

I don’t think the pay is horrendous.

Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:25

@SeaWitchly

Where on earth in London can you buy a house on $24k?
I said that were I come from you can, pounds not dollars. £24k in Cardiff and you can buy a house, a car, go on holidays. Not a luxury life, but then it's just the starting salary and there's a guarantee of more. Sounds really good to me though I appreciate the increase they get for London might not be enough.
turnthebiglightoff · 09/03/2021 19:26

Who's buying houses with a £24k salary Confused the pay used to be fair when the role was simpler (still involved huge emotional intelligence). For what nurses do now their pay is ridiculous. But then so is the pay of a junior doctor. I know several career nurses who have worked their way up the ladder for 10-15 years and now are paid the same as I am and I don't save lives for a living.

mendandmakedo · 09/03/2021 19:26

They got rid of the diploma years ago. I don't think there will be any registered nurses now don't have a degree.

Grenlei · 09/03/2021 19:27

I think the pay is reasonable, we have paralegals working for us who have law degrees on 16-17k a year.

As has been said, you get the advantage of public sector pensions (my employer contributes 3% and we've had no pay rise for the last 2 years...) plus opportunities for overtime, bank work etc.

FuckyouBrennan · 09/03/2021 19:27

Yes I think it’s reasonable. I also think the increase is reasonable.

Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:28

@mendandmakedo

The working conditions are bad this was precovid. Nurses not able to do the job as well as they would like as not enough staff etc. Therefore the job is very hard for the salary. Most ward nurses are band 5 so often the quoted salary is not reflective of average nurse pay.
Thanks. That's useful to know. So most will be on 24-30k? It looks like hard work what with difficult patients and being physically demanding. Not something I'd be up for at all and the wages, while being more than I've earned, would not be enough to tempt me.
BungleandGeorge · 09/03/2021 19:29

I think the starting salary is ok. When you start/ don’t know the job/ need senior assistance. The problem is the lack of progression and the fact that extra duties, responsibilities and training is not rewarded. Pay scales are very biased towards rewarding management responsibilities and away from clinical responsibilities. So a project manager might be on 15k more than a senior nurse in charge of a ward. There’s no reward for doing an MSc or becoming a prescriber. I would like to know whether this MP actually knows what nurses do because most of them don’t seem to have a clue about any extended roles or additional skills. I’d also like to know why NHS clinical staff are worth 10% or more less pay than they were 10 years ago when they do more extended roles with more responsibility and have to pay more to train and register with their professional bodies.

mendandmakedo · 09/03/2021 19:29

Pension age for nhs is now linked to the state pension age. Staff have to a pay large amount of their wage in to it or opt out of it there is no middle ground.

Gwenhwyfar · 09/03/2021 19:29

@mendandmakedo

They got rid of the diploma years ago. I don't think there will be any registered nurses now don't have a degree.
A friend was talking about being a nurse and not having a degree not so long ago. I don't think she's been sacked. She's an agency nurse, but I presume that still means she's a registered nurse. This was in Wales.
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