Why are nurses always bottom of the list?

[TommyAndGinaAreHalfWayThere]

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.

I meant people in private sector as his/her post suggested that private sector roles can’t.

police officers can’t but they do have a federation to help with things like pay, welfare etc. roles like police and armed forces can’t strike

They tend not to go on strike not because they are female or because Govts push them to the back of the queue, after all, we've had 3 female PMs, yet its only a male one (Blair) that have increased their pay inline or above inflation...

They don't strike because it means their patients will die/suffer horribly.

Just imagine, chatting to a vascular patient, awaiting an op to save his leg, going and strike and then coming back to see that he now needs an amputation?

BUT if Labour now carry on like this, nurses are going to strike and it'll be on Streeting/Starmer this time and us indirectly for voting in parties that don't give a shit about the NHS.

Even now Hunt is complaining about paying nurses more!

Came here to say this. I absolutely agree that nurses and other sectors of the NHS should get a decent pay rise.

Social workers don’t get a mention, it takes the authority I work for months to agree a pay increase that we and up getting half way through the year with the back pay being paid as a lump sum.

To my knowledge educational psychologists get paid less well (about 8k) less than NHS clinical psychologists.

That is not what I’m saying and I’m impressed that you managed to twist something g so spectacularly.

well done you.

I’m a social worker and we get a pittance - nurses tend to get better pay rises than us every time!

Not what I’m saying

My parents were teachers. I know how much marking and prep was done at weekends and evenings. But I also know they were never rostered for a 13 hour shift on Saturday or overnight.

but my point was actually that nurses get via agenda for change pay agreement time and a third, and time and two thirds for unsocial hour shifts. Which bumps pay packet up. I was asking if the average salary figure was with or without that bump.

teachers obviously won’t get additional pay for marking at a weekend. They don’t put a timesheet in.

I was just trying to understand how accurate the figures were

My NHS secretary at work is B5. She has no admin qualifications.

I don’t think it’s right that the nhs has some admin staff paid the same as clinicians with degrees

what qualifications in admin does she need though?
not really secretarial training any more
is she good at her job
and why on earth is she a B5

Try working in a prison. No thanks for protecting the public against the worst scum out there. And 68 year olds are expected to walk the landings!!!!!! Amongst very dangerous individuals! So no. Nurses are not the bottom of the pie at all

I think it is disgraceful that prison officers are poorly paid. I am disgusted at how prisoners are treated and not supported to become better people. This needs a skill mix of teacher, nurse and therapist but no, contract out the service to the highest bidder and pay peanuts and get well meaning but inexperienced staff to deal with the most broken in our society.

Because they are chronically underpaid.

I’ve known some nhs medical secretaries with Amspar qualifications paid at b4.

the B5 tend to manage something, typically other admin. Our own secretary manages several B4 staff but she’s useless. Literally goes off sick for 6 months at a time and baulkes when asked to do any work. When I say she does nothing, I’m not exaggerating. A he makes tea and goes to the toilet.

No, ‘the most broken in our society’ are the victims and their families who have suffered the actions of these criminals. What is really disgusting is how much time and money is already ploughed into the perpetrators, whilst the real victims are often not given any aftercare/counselling they may genuinely need through no fault of their own. My younger sister was a victim of a horrendous crime as a child, thankfully perpetrator found guilty and went to prison where he belongs after destroying several entire families. I hope he’s having the worst time possible in there.

The last lot of ballots Unison didn't even manage to send loads of people ballot papers. I rang three times asking to send me one, they kept saying they would resend. Never did get a single one! Happened to loads of people I know too.

Sorry but I don’t believe there’s much hope for most prisoners who have been guilty of serious crime. You get some who turn their life around but most are just wired to continue in that life. You’ll get much better results if you focus on developing children from birth to adulthood. Once they become adult it’s SO hard to change things.

I don’t know if it’s practical but if I had it my way murderers /sex offenders would all be locked up for life. And no non-violent offenders would be imprisoned. They would be given community orders etc instead.

I’m sick of hearing stories about murderers and rapists who are let out and then do it again.

As a teacher, you can honestly have my 4%. I don’t want it. It’s used as a stick to beat us with in the court of public perception when the reality is it’s not fully funded and with budgets as tight as they are already, I’m genuinely worried for jobs in education. There’s literally nothing left to cut back on. I’d rather a fully funded a pay rise for nurses.

Prison nurses? Also AFC

So it sounds like you aren't nursing anymore - why are you bothered? I'm an allied health professional and my pay is aligned with agenda for change pay, however the news only ever mentions nurses pay? What about physios, podiatrists, midwives etc? I think you're taking the piss to say that the 'saintly' nurses are bottom of the list.

Just to add that yes a pay rise for teachers may have been agreed by Government but it, currently, is not fully funded. This means that schools will not be given extra money to cover these costs and the money will have to be scraped from their current budgets further weakening school resources etc. and affecting the education of the children

Nurses and hospital workers are also paid nowhere near enough for the work they do.

But people in general don't want their public workers to get pay rises because it comes from 'the public purse'.

Recently our local high security prison had a recruitment push, you are dealing with some of the most violent and serious murderers and offenders and it was basically minimum wage, obviously more with overtime . Every comment was why would you do such a high risk job for so little pay.

I don’t know but nurses definitely make the world a better place. I feel bad that they’re not appreciated more but they deserve to be. I have total respect for nurses. Worst job in the world but we need these angels to keep on being who they are.

I’m a teacher and fully agree with you! I have no idea why nurses do not get paid better- I couldn’t do the job and work the shifts nurses do! They are genuine angels in disguise and deserve better! (Also our pay rises have basically meant a cut in support staff so yay we get paid more but bugger it I would have rather had some TAs in my classes!)

Nurses are being asked to do more than ever—managing complex medical tasks, covering staffing shortages, and handling emotional labor. As their responsibilities increase, it's only fair that their compensation reflects this growing workload. Asking for pay that matches the job's demands is not greed; it's basic fairness.
Nurses perform life-saving, high-pressure work that demands both technical skill and compassion. Yet many are paid less than they would earn in less demanding private sector jobs. Wanting a salary that reflects the critical nature of their work is entirely reasonable.
Like everyone else, nurses face rising costs for housing, food, transport, and childcare. A pay rise one year may not even keep up with inflation. When nurses advocate for better pay, it’s often just to maintain their standard of living, not to get ahead.
Underpaying nurses leads to burnout and staff leaving the profession. Hospitals and care homes then struggle to recruit and retain skilled staff, putting patient care at risk. Offering fair wages is a necessary investment to keep the system functioning.
Nurses don’t protest or strike lightly. When they advocate for better pay, it’s usually a last resort—after years of underpayment and poor working conditions. It’s not about constantly "wanting more," but about finally being heard and respected.

Ps: Nurses are the people who will take care of you when you need care. If you don't want it, die before you need it.

I disagree with this… I’m in NI & we’ve gone on strike a few times with great results. IMO we’re not militant enough.

Me neither…