Do you agree with the nurses strike?

[borderterrierr]

Guardian reporting that the rcn strike has resulted in a yes vote and we'll be striking before Christmas.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/05/nurses-across-uk-vote-to-strike-in-first-ever-national-action?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Patient's emergency care will be protected but it's a strike vote

So the average age of a nurse starting in the NHS isn't 21 let alone have a 40 year plus career, as you so clearly stated earlier.

Glad we cleared that up.

Yes those stuck in the pension trap, we are facing another brutal reduction in numbers when they retire. Younger nurses just aren't seeing it as an enduring career in the same way and its going to cause massive massive issues. People on older contracts invariably have better terms as well which makes sticking it out more worthwhile. Not sure your post makes the point you think it does tbh.

Some of the numbers mentioned here for average nurse salary and pension are laughably off the scale. I wish.

Some posters seem to suggest, work like a dog for 40 years , don't have a social life , struggle to pay your mortgage, take an extra job/extra hours to survive because hey ho when you retire you'll be better off than everyone else. Whoop de doo. I've recently retired after 37 years ...so not the case.

. Nurses have had their pay and conditions which weren't great in the first place, eroded more and more over the last 2 decades. Most people would expect a decent wage for full time hours with degree training, and perpetual training and enhancement of the roles and responsibilities that that incurs over the lifetime of their career. The suggestion seems to be get on with it , suffer on , we don't care about you but we expect you to care about us.

When I began my nursing career, I had been a qualified nurse for 5 years, my ex boyfriend qualified as a teacher and within 2 years was earning more money than me. Latterly as a nurse of 28 years my friend who was a teacher earned 10 k more than me. This is not dissing teachers, this is comparative. She had no specific enhanced roles I was a specialist in my field.

I stated no such thing. I said nurses start at age 21, and most of them do. And a 40yr career is entirely possible and not uncommon.

Maths isn’t your strong suit is it? You don’t seem to understand how the fact people starting second careers in their 40s affects average age and average career length? Or that average age doesn’t mean the age most nurses start at? Or that average career length doesn’t mean the career length of most nurses?

This is GCSE level stuff!

Your point about inflation is fair, though it can only be a guide, not a mandate for the private sector, because it is private.

As for our NHS nurses, they are not in the market economy. That’s precisely the point. They are working in the public sector. That’s exactly their handicap. Most agree that they should be paid more, but the only way they can command market value for their skills is if they work in the private sector.

Small sample size i know, but less than 10% of my 200 strong cohort were school leavers. The majority of students were over 25 and retraining. This has also been my experience working with students before and after I did my training.

How much do you earn?

They changed the pension nearly 20 years ago so it’s not nearly as good as it has been in the past.

Be that as it may, the NHS pension, along with other defined benefit contributions, is excellent.

I will post this again. This is the demographics of ALL U.K. RNs in 2022 on the NM Register. The sample size is 100% of RNs in the U.K.

Below 21 = 28
21-30 = 120,401
31-40 = 191,403
41-50 = 185,125
51-60 = 193,502
61-70 = 64,332
71+= 3,512

www.nurses.co.uk/blog/stats-and-facts-uk-nursing-social-care-and-healthcare-2022/

The retail worker would not have the defined benefit pension, death in service benefit, sick pay benefits of the NHS worker.

I’m the first to say AHPs need a payrise but let’s be clear about our comparisons.

Yes.

Do you think everyone in that 10% deserves their wage?

What do you do to deserves yours?

Yes they do

🤣

I earn £25k I work for a charity doing work that is stressful and life changing for the clients. I just feel like all this moaning about pay is a bit insensitive to people who actually have a low wage.

How many posters have now pointed out your "Most nurses start at 21" statement is wrong?

Also registration is for 3 years, i'm sure you can see how thats going to affect the stats.

Yes all that is true but if your 31 and cannot afford to pay your rent, then a pension you may get in 37 years time, plays second fiddle.

I'm a nurse of 37 years. Both siblings nurses, one retired 2 years ago at 60. Other left years ago. Friend trained at 49 yrs of age now 57 , wants out , burned out. I retired this year I am 57 years. Friend and colleague retired at 59 years. Colleagues of similar age want out, cant retire due to ex husbands screwing them over financially or left pension scheme and never rejoined, now are struggling to cope with changing environment , pressures and workload. I know of only one nurse who worked till she was 68. Nursing is not an older person's game in the majority of environments, either physically or mentally. Many have retired and come back on 2 days as they couldn't continue on full time.

How do you get from that that most nurses start at 21?

That would mean most 1st year students are 18 and I can guarantee you that is not the case

Why is it insensitive? Have all low earners spent 3 years at uni, with no real breaks I might add, its not like other courses where you get summer off, I had 10 days off end of aug/start sept since last easter- xmas. As a student you work 37.5 hour weeks, racking up student debt and not being paid making working alongside to support yourself nigh on impossible. To then have to pay yearly just to practice, work 12 hour shifts with no breaks, study every year to be able to keep their pin, suffer abuse on a daily bases - I have had my face forced into a mans genitals, I have been punched, shoved, pinned at a wall, I've had verbal abuse more times than I can count, I had some scratch my face so deeply it scarred from eyeball to chin, to name but a few. I go home every day feeling like I have let down patients and other staff, because I've not physically had the time to do all my work even though I'm an hour late home to my children. I work 48 hours most weeks to be able to provide for my children. Im forced into working mostly nights to be able to provide from my children, meaning I get 1 real day a week with them. For what? to be told I'm insensitive when the pitiful rise the government offered was an actual pay cut for some of my colleagues and equated to £10 a month for myself?

Whats insensitive is begrudging HCP's what they deserve for the work they do just because others in none skilled roles earn less.

It’s not wrong though. 🙄

It is wrong. Most students are not 18 when they start.

@olca39 i assume you mean sick pay ? I’m not sure what other benefits there are but I’ll read more around this. We need to make the job more attractive in terms of pay and working conditions otherwise we’ll never recruit and retain. I’ve 2 friends who’ve left recently both v experienced. 1 working in John Lewis, the other childcare. The benefits mentioned obviously weren’t attractive enough.

Oh yes they are….

A quick Google shows the average age of nursing students is 29. Half are over 25

19% are 18.

Not really a majority

www.health.org.uk/chart/chart-change-in-the-profile-of-nursing-students-from-england

I want nurses to have decent working conditions (and fair pay) so they aren't stressed, overworked, and burnt out. That's both out of concern for the nurses and for selfish reasons--I don't want someone who is overworked and burnt out providing my care and making mistakes through exhaustion!

I hate that strike action is necessary but I don't know how else to get the attention of the government. Good luck nurses.