Plans to offer NHS staff a 3% pay rise have been slammed by trade unions - with reps saying that given the cost-of-living crisis some health workers will be left unable to pay their bills.
On Wednesday the Government submitted its proposal for this year's NHS pay review, but union figures like UNISON's health boss Sara Gorton have called the 3% offer "miserly".
The Government’s submission to the NHS Pay Review Body came as inflation is expected to rise from 5.5% in January to almost 8% in April.
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Ms Gorton has been among the most outspoken union figures on the issue, she said: "This tight-fisted proposal falls well short of rising costs and staff hopes. It’s barely half the rate of inflation, which is far from peaking and won't for many more months.
"“This will go down like a lead balloon with health workers struggling to fill up at the pump, buy groceries and pay bills. It would be a wage cut in all but name."
Highlighting that NHS staff had "borne a heavy responsibility" during Covid-19, she added that the Government was "expecting miracles".
"Staff feel so dispirited, many already have one foot out the door," she continued. "This substandard amount will convince many it's time to part company with the NHS."
Meanwhile the Royal College of Nursing added that "nursing pay is a political choice" and said the Government proposal showed it was "not serious" about tackling the NHS staffing crisis.
RCN General Secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: "This document shows the UK government is not serious about tackling the nursing workforce crisis, retaining expert and experienced nursing staff or making patient care safer.
"Our members will see this as a deliberate attempt to pitch nurses against patients. Politicians need to move beyond this false choice between paying staff fairly and safer staffing levels – one is key to the other."
The Government has defended the plans - and a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said it "hugely valued and appreciated all our NHS staff".
Pointing to how NHS staff had received a 3% pay rise in 2021 too despite a broader public sector pay freeze, the spokesperson added: "We are rightly giving NHS workers another pay rise this year. This needs to be proportionate to pay rises in the wider economy, and take the economic context into account including inflationary pressures.
"It also needs to balance rewarding our hard working public sector workers with ensuring we can continue with front line service delivery, while tackling the Covid backlogs and growing our NHS workforce."
This annual rise is just short of the 4% average annual increase the NHS has had since its foundation after the Second World War, to keep pace with a growing population and new technologies.
The Government’s submission to the NHS Pay Review Body stated: “The NHS budget has now been set until 2024-25.
"While this gives the NHS the financial security to address challenges in a sustainable manner, the settlement is tight and there will be a need for careful prioritisation to stay within available funding and make progress towards long-term financial sustainability."
The final decision on a pay rise will be taken this summer.
