Public want government to  keep promises and give the NHS what it needs, poll shows  

Two-thirds of the public believe the government should try harder to find the money for a decent pay rise for NHS staff in England, according to a Savanta ComRes poll published today (Tuesday). The research for the UK’s 14 health unions shows public support remains strong for a proper wage rise for health staff including nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and hospital porters. The heads of UNISON, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and Royal College of Midwives (RCM), speaking on behalf of all the health unions, say the findings demonstrate people want the Prime Minister to stand by his promises to NHS staff. The survey of more than 2,000 people makes clear a majority of the public (60%) think the 1% rise proposed by the government for NHS workers in England is too low. The findings also highlight how two thirds of people (66%) would support the government making additional resources available for a pay rise for NHS staff, following the offer to Scottish NHS staff from their government. Health service staff were due their pay rise on 1 April, but delaying tactics from Number 10 means over a million health employees are still waiting, say the leaders of UNISON, RCN and RCM, who between them represent more than 1.3m workers across the UK. The unions say ministers must listen to the public and address the needs of the health service which faces another challenging year. A major issue will be dealing with the unprecedented backlog of operations...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Press release NHS pay rise Source Type: news