The Health Secretary is "keen to have dialogue" with the nursing union, but did not directly respond to questions about whether he would accept its latest compromise of a 10% pay rise. Steve Barclay spoke with journalists during a visit to Watford General Hospital after the general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), Pat Cullen, called on the UK Government to meet it "halfway" on wage negotiations.
The RCN is calling for a rise of 5% above the rate of RPI inflation, which equated to a 19% rise based on inflation figures for November 2022. Mr Barclay spoke with doctors at the hospital's A&E department during a tour with journalists, before speaking with patients privately.
When asked about the RCN's update on its pay request, Mr Barclay said he was looking forward to discussing a "more affordable" settlement.
