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Original poster

Why are nurses always bottom of the list?

179 replies

TommyAndGinaAreHalfWayThere · 23/05/2025 07:37

Why is it whenever public service pay rises are announced, nurses are always given less than other sectors.

I have nothing against teachers - I couldn’t do their job but why do they always get more than nurses? Genuine question.

It always seems to me that nursing is seen by the government as a “lesser job”.

Is there a wonder nobody wants to do it anymore? When I started university there were 300 students in our cohort. After one year this dropped to 200. By the time we graduated it had dropped to 150.

Off all the nurses I graduated with I would estimate that more than half have since left - myself included. I have a close friendship group from uni -

me - left after 7 years
friend 1 - left after 6 years
friend 2 - still nursing
Friend 3 - left after 4 years
friend 4 - left after 5 years
friend 5 - moved to Australia 😂

Is there any wonder? Over worked, under paid and generally treated like shit.

OP posts:
rivalsbinge · 23/05/2025 07:40

I’m not even in nursing and do notice that they are always the bottom of the list, I have just looked at retaining as a radiographer and I can’t afford too, after uni costs and then the salary being so low for so long as a 2nd career I can’t adored to do it. The wages in healthcare and care need to be so much better.

MellowPinkDeer · 23/05/2025 07:42

Also, social workers.

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

toomuchfaff · 23/05/2025 07:46

Because its historically primarily always women, and they have a "vocation" aka they don't tend to leave even if you treat them like shit and pay them peanuts because "think of all the sick people"

ex nurse 20 yrs. Left to go into IT and earn x3

Bushmillsbabe · 23/05/2025 07:48

That may be reflective just of your specific cohort, and of how thorough the interview process was, it was made very clear to us that if we start the course we need to finish it as our training is expensive and universities lose a portion of their funding for those who quit mid course. We had same number graduate as start - 2 people deferred due to becoming pregnant during our course and 2 joined our cohort after deferring from a previous cohort.

The teaching unions do seem to fight harder for their members than the healthcare ones though - the difference is they have the ability to go fully on strike, whereas we can only do a limited strike where elective procedures are cancelled, but emergency healthcare still has to go ahead.

Moglet4 · 23/05/2025 07:51

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

Well in the case of teachers because they had a pay freeze for 10 years, because they work for well below minimum wage for the hours actually done and because they are now no longer doing the job of a teacher but the jobs of teacher, social worker, security guard, counsellor etc. They need to be MUCH better paid. Can’t speak for nurses but I imagine it’s pretty dire there too.

blackbird77 · 23/05/2025 07:51

It's not a value judgement. Each public sector industry has different levels of retention and recruitment issues. If attrition and/or recruitment problems is higher in one sector then they may get a marginally higher pay rise at some points. The prison sector at the moment is currently facing a HUGE recruitment and retention issue. Teaching always,

If educational or qualification level is higher in some sectors they may also get marginally higher pay rises also. You also have to take into account future issues and projections and also look at competition for the same graduate in other sectors (for example a graduate with a nursing degree will most likely go into nursing or similar related field whereas a chemistry, biology or physics graduate can go into a host of high-paying graduate fields so these are the ones the government needs to lure into or keep in teaching over that person pursuing other graduate roles in other industries with their STEM degree)

Salacia · 23/05/2025 07:53

The nursing union is pretty poor - Pat Cullen really fumbled the previous pay deal (plus poor engagement from members meaning strike ballots can’t pass). Unfortunately you’ll struggle in the public sector without a strong union - the squeaky wheel gets the most grease.

Fearfulsaints · 23/05/2025 07:54

I think maybe it's easier to recruit nurses from abroad than it is teachers.

PinkStarsandBlackWalls · 23/05/2025 07:55

You can bring nurses in from abroad. You can’t do the same with teachers perhaps?

Sidge · 23/05/2025 07:55

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

Given we rarely get a pay rise, and usually just a below-inflation cost of living rise we’ve actually had year-on-year pay cuts.

No wonder we’re fed up. A study in 2019 showed average nurses pay was the same in 2019 as it was in 2008. I don’t think it’s changed much since then.

FixTheBone · 23/05/2025 07:57

Because their union and members cant get their act together.

They had a ballot at the same time as doctors and paramedics in the last round of strikes - half the hospitals didnt reach the voting threshold to be able to strike, and the ones that did capitulated almost immediately.

OutandAboutMum1821 · 23/05/2025 07:58

Couldn’t agree more OP. Nurses definitely deserve to be top of the list for pay rises. I’m an ex-teacher and my DH is a teacher, but we would both fully back you having a pay rise over us if it were a choice.

Our DS was cared for round the clock by NICU nurses for the first week of his life. They were who translated the doctor speak, reassured us why his machine was beeping, cuddled him during the night when we had to go home. I could not believe the length of the shifts one pair did, our gratitude is off the chart. They were some of the best people I’ve ever met.

I was rushed into hospital with a kidney infection. I’m a very healthy 38 year old, normal BMI, zero health issues. Again, it was a team of nurses who worked tirelessly through the first night, repeatedly administering antibiotics and doing everything they could to bring my dangerously high temperature down. They saved my life, prevented me getting sepsis, and ultimately got me home to my 2 young children. One understood why I was upset my phone died and ensured I had a phone charger so I could phone my children to say goodnight. They are heroes.

You and your colleagues are amazing, true heroes. I’d vote/back you in any way I can for whatever you need. Thank you for everything, I’ve seen and I know.

RaspberryRipple2 · 23/05/2025 08:00

The payrises announced are quite generous given the increase in national insurance - private sector pay rises are generally being capped at 2% this year as far as I’ve heard. There’s absolutely nothing to complain about here, they will seem very generous for the majority of readers.

DustyLee123 · 23/05/2025 08:00

I’m in private health as my NHS job was farmed out by commissioning. We don’t get the same pay rise as NHS nurses, neither do we get NHS pension.

CousinBob · 23/05/2025 08:01

As Fearfulsaints and PinkStarsandBlackWalls say, nurses can be filched
(oops! recruited) from other countries.

MissyB1 · 23/05/2025 08:02

Salacia · 23/05/2025 07:53

The nursing union is pretty poor - Pat Cullen really fumbled the previous pay deal (plus poor engagement from members meaning strike ballots can’t pass). Unfortunately you’ll struggle in the public sector without a strong union - the squeaky wheel gets the most grease.

Absolutely this! It's down to unions. The Doctors fight hard.

Ohthedaffodils · 23/05/2025 08:03

RCN is like a chocolate teapot, they don’t fight for their members.

Macaroni46 · 23/05/2025 08:03

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

Because they are woefully underpaid and work in shit conditions. They deserve so much more.

Crackerstoyou · 23/05/2025 08:04

Can I also add Residential social care staff (public sector ) too ? (Children, Adults, Older People). Completely agree with nurses and social workers.But less face it, most of these jobs are done by women and the majority of the bosses are still men.Go figure .(And the trade unions are bloody useless).

Crackerstoyou · 23/05/2025 08:05

*sorry meant to put let's face it.

Bjorkdidit · 23/05/2025 08:07

Nurses aren't bottom of the list, that would be civil servants.

Despised by the public/media/government despite none of them having a clue what most of us do or how important it is to the running of the country.

No pay progression, and lower percentage pay rises than the rest of the public sector.

Most admin staff these days need two pay rises a year to keep them at NMW.

2ndbestslayer · 23/05/2025 08:08

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

Good. They keep getting offered paltry increases that don't keep up with inflation. They should absolutely keep fighting until they get paid a fair wage. The starting salary for a nurse - who is a graduate by the way - is around £30k. That's not much more than minimum wage.

ExpressCheckout · 23/05/2025 08:08

Salacia · 23/05/2025 07:53

The nursing union is pretty poor - Pat Cullen really fumbled the previous pay deal (plus poor engagement from members meaning strike ballots can’t pass). Unfortunately you’ll struggle in the public sector without a strong union - the squeaky wheel gets the most grease.

^This. Look at the eye-watering pay rises in the rail industry. They went on strike, caused maximum disruption, and got their award.

Nurses have to decide whether they are prepared to bite the bullet and strike in the same way, with the consequences that would bring.

This said, we need to ask where the money will come from. There are far more nurses than doctors, so pay increase cost is higher.

JWhipple · 23/05/2025 08:10

Viviennemary · 23/05/2025 07:44

Nurses and teachers always seem to be wanting more money. No sooner do they get a pay rise then they want more.

Oh bless. Do you think teachers and nurses aren't important enough to be paid for the skills they have?

I'm guessing you've had no support from either in your life.

Both have to deal, day in day out, with some incredibly stressful situations, with a lot of responsibility and pressure, without the staffing or resources they need (and that's going to continue to be the case) but with increasing expectations and hoops to jump through.

But yeah, how dare they whine for more money with their easy jobs.

Let me guess, you think teachers have an easy job with "loads of holidays" and once you saw some nurses sitting gossiping on a ward and clearly that's all they do.