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‘Government must fully fund a real terms pay increase for all NHS staff anything less is another empty promise say midwives’

By RCM on 10 October 2017 RCM Government Midwives MSWs - Maternity Support Workers Pay and Agenda For Change Secretary of State for Health

Jeremy Hunt has confirmed the NHS pay cap has been “scrapped”, but has yet to reveal whether or not midwives and other NHS staff will get pay awards to match rising inflation.

Responding to today’s announcement, Jon Skewes, The Royal College of Midwives (RCM), Director for Policy, Communication’s and Employment Relations said; “The RCM very much welcomes todays announcement by the Secretary of State. However, this cannot be another empty promise by Jeremy Hunt. The time is now to concede NHS Unions’ pay claim on behalf of midwives and all NHS workers and fund it properly.”

“The Government must commit to fully funding  a real terms pay increase for Midwives and NHS staff. Anything less will fundamentally damage employment relations in the NHS and will add to the already rock-bottom NHS morale. It will further push midwives out of the profession at a time when we already have a shortage of midwives that is getting worse. We need our NHS staff more than ever because ultimately, investment in NHS staff is an investment in high quality, safe NHS care.

“Midwives and maternity support workers work incredibly hard under increasingly challenging circumstances and they are working harder every day while seeing their pay drop. In England alone we remain 3,500 midwives short, that coupled with a high birth rate and women presenting with increasingly complex pregnancies means funding for staff and fair pay has never been more critical.”

 

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Notes to editors

The RCM is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources. For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.

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