22.07.15
‘NHS pay must keep up with private sector to retain staff,’ says Stevens
NHS England’s chief executive says pay will need to keep up with the private sector if the health service is going to recruit and retain the right staff.
Giving evidence to the Commons health select committee, Simon Stevens said that although more than 23,500 clinical and frontline professionals have been appointed in the last five years, more needs to be done to continue recruiting.
Discussing the government’s recent announcement to cap public sector pay awards at 1% for four more years, which some unions said will “hasten the reluctant exit of many dedicated staff” from hospitals, Stevens added that pay would need to remain competitive.
Following the recent budget announcement, Dr Peter Carter, chief executive & general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “The NHS is currently struggling to recruit enough nurses to provide safe and effective care, leading to costly, short term recruitment from overseas and the use of expensive agencies to provide nurses at short notice.
“The consequences of the Treasury’s pay decision will be serious for nurses and patients alike.”
Stevens said he had to remain apolitical, but did say that “ultimately the health service needs to pay the going rate relative to the private sector in order to recruit and retain the staff that we need”.
(Image of Simon Stevens: screengrab from parliamenttv.live)