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| Does the average nurse earn £34,000 a year? | Does the average nurse earn £34,000 a year? |
| (about 12 hours later) | |
| Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are holding a second day of strike action over pay. | |
| The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) - which represents two thirds of UK nurses - says its members have been getting a "raw deal" on pay for years. | The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) - which represents two thirds of UK nurses - says its members have been getting a "raw deal" on pay for years. |
| But Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told Sky News on 9 November: "I think the average when I last looked was £34,000 before these increases, so it's more than the average salary across the country." | But Education Secretary Gillian Keegan told Sky News on 9 November: "I think the average when I last looked was £34,000 before these increases, so it's more than the average salary across the country." |
| Nurses to strike for two days before Christmas | Nurses to strike for two days before Christmas |
| Nurses' strike: What is the dispute about? | Nurses' strike: What is the dispute about? |
| Why are so many workers going on strike? | Why are so many workers going on strike? |
| What is average pay for nurses? | What is average pay for nurses? |
| The £34,000 figure is used in the report from the NHS Pay Review Body, which recommends what should happen to NHS pay in England. | The £34,000 figure is used in the report from the NHS Pay Review Body, which recommends what should happen to NHS pay in England. |
| In the category "nurses and health visitors", the average basic pay per full-time employee was given as £34,275, but that is a figure for March 2021. | In the category "nurses and health visitors", the average basic pay per full-time employee was given as £34,275, but that is a figure for March 2021. |
| The government says that figure increased to £35,600 by March 2022, and that nurses were then given a £1,400 increase, which should take the average up to £37,000. | The government says that figure increased to £35,600 by March 2022, and that nurses were then given a £1,400 increase, which should take the average up to £37,000. |
| Is that above the average salary? | Is that above the average salary? |
| That depends on which average you're talking about. | That depends on which average you're talking about. |
| The mean UK full-time salary, which is what you get if you add up the amount all full-time employees are paid and divide by the number of full-time employees, is £39,966, according to the figures for April 2022 from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). | The mean UK full-time salary, which is what you get if you add up the amount all full-time employees are paid and divide by the number of full-time employees, is £39,966, according to the figures for April 2022 from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). |
| But from the same report, the median, which is the amount that half of full time employees will be earning more than, and half will be earning less than, is £33,000. | But from the same report, the median, which is the amount that half of full time employees will be earning more than, and half will be earning less than, is £33,000. |
| So the average figure for nurses is higher than the median salary but lower than the mean. | So the average figure for nurses is higher than the median salary but lower than the mean. |
| The median is the figure often used for wages because it is not skewed by small numbers of very highly paid people. | The median is the figure often used for wages because it is not skewed by small numbers of very highly paid people. |
| The mean and median for nurses themselves tend to be very similar, because there are not many nurses who are very highly paid. | The mean and median for nurses themselves tend to be very similar, because there are not many nurses who are very highly paid. |
| That same report from the ONS gives the full-time mean for the category "nursing professionals" as £37,799 while the median is £37,255. That figure is probably higher because it includes nurses in the private sector, not just NHS nurses. | That same report from the ONS gives the full-time mean for the category "nursing professionals" as £37,799 while the median is £37,255. That figure is probably higher because it includes nurses in the private sector, not just NHS nurses. |
| How does it vary between grades? | How does it vary between grades? |
| The most common grade for NHS nurses is Band 5, which accounts for about 42% of nurses in England. | The most common grade for NHS nurses is Band 5, which accounts for about 42% of nurses in England. |
| That's the pay grade for newly qualified nurses - their salaries range between £27,055 and £32,934. | That's the pay grade for newly qualified nurses - their salaries range between £27,055 and £32,934. |
| Band 6 is more senior nurses and specialists and their basic pay is between £33,706 and £40,588. | Band 6 is more senior nurses and specialists and their basic pay is between £33,706 and £40,588. |
| Band 7 includes ward sisters and junior matrons, earning between £41,659 and £47,672. | Band 7 includes ward sisters and junior matrons, earning between £41,659 and £47,672. |
| Band 8 is divided into four sections, including senior matrons, heads of department and nurse consultants, who can earn between £48,526 and £91,787. | Band 8 is divided into four sections, including senior matrons, heads of department and nurse consultants, who can earn between £48,526 and £91,787. |
| There are also 306 nurses in Band 9, who are chief nurses or deputy chief nurses and can earn between £95,135 and £109,475. | There are also 306 nurses in Band 9, who are chief nurses or deputy chief nurses and can earn between £95,135 and £109,475. |
| How does it vary across the UK? | How does it vary across the UK? |
| The RCN told us: | The RCN told us: |
| The starting salary of a nurse in NHS Scotland is £26,104. An experienced nurse at the top of Band 5 earns around £33,000. | The starting salary of a nurse in NHS Scotland is £26,104. An experienced nurse at the top of Band 5 earns around £33,000. |
| In Wales, a band 5 nurse earns between £27,055 and £32,934. | In Wales, a band 5 nurse earns between £27,055 and £32,934. |
| In Northern Ireland, it's last year's pay scales as the award this year hasn't been implemented due to the political situation. The top of band 5 earns around £31,534. | In Northern Ireland, it's last year's pay scales as the award this year hasn't been implemented due to the political situation. The top of band 5 earns around £31,534. |
| Nurses in Scotland who were threatening industrial action have been made a fresh pay offer averaging 7.5%, which has been accepted by some of the unions with further ballot results expected. | Nurses in Scotland who were threatening industrial action have been made a fresh pay offer averaging 7.5%, which has been accepted by some of the unions with further ballot results expected. |
| Can nurses earn extra on top of that? | Can nurses earn extra on top of that? |
| The standard full-time working week for NHS staff is 37.5 hours. | The standard full-time working week for NHS staff is 37.5 hours. |
| Staff in pay bands one to seven are eligible for overtime payments, which is 1.5 times the hourly rate or twice the hourly rate for working on bank holidays. | Staff in pay bands one to seven are eligible for overtime payments, which is 1.5 times the hourly rate or twice the hourly rate for working on bank holidays. |
| They can also get allowances for working in high cost areas (London and surrounding counties) and for being on call. | They can also get allowances for working in high cost areas (London and surrounding counties) and for being on call. |
| NHS staff across the UK have access to pension schemes, which have become less generous in recent years, but are still of a type that has historically been better than what is available in the private sector. | NHS staff across the UK have access to pension schemes, which have become less generous in recent years, but are still of a type that has historically been better than what is available in the private sector. |
| Has nurses' pay kept up with inflation? | Has nurses' pay kept up with inflation? |
| Nurses' pay has not kept up with rising prices since 2010. They have had a real terms pay cut of more than 10%. | Nurses' pay has not kept up with rising prices since 2010. They have had a real terms pay cut of more than 10%. |
| It has also failed to keep up with average earnings, either in the private sector or the public sector, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed. | It has also failed to keep up with average earnings, either in the private sector or the public sector, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies has confirmed. |
| With strikes on the horizon, here's a bit of context on what's been happening to average nurse pay in England. Since 2010, nurses' pay (the purple line) has lagged behind inflation, and behind average pay growth in both the public and private sectors. pic.twitter.com/FKiNDxlzq0 | With strikes on the horizon, here's a bit of context on what's been happening to average nurse pay in England. Since 2010, nurses' pay (the purple line) has lagged behind inflation, and behind average pay growth in both the public and private sectors. pic.twitter.com/FKiNDxlzq0 |
| How does pay compare with Europe? | How does pay compare with Europe? |
| The RCN's General Secretary Pat Cullen told the BBC on 11 December: "International evidence brought out by the OECD last week shows, and this is despicable, that UK nurses are paid the lowest in Europe". | The RCN's General Secretary Pat Cullen told the BBC on 11 December: "International evidence brought out by the OECD last week shows, and this is despicable, that UK nurses are paid the lowest in Europe". |
| But that claim is not supported by the OECD's Health at a Glance report, which was published on 5 December (see p.187). | But that claim is not supported by the OECD's Health at a Glance report, which was published on 5 December (see p.187). |
| It compared their salaries with other European countries, based on both their salaries adjusted for the cost of living and as a proportion of the average wage for full-time workers in each country. | It compared their salaries with other European countries, based on both their salaries adjusted for the cost of living and as a proportion of the average wage for full-time workers in each country. |
| UK nurses did not come out as the worst paid on either measure, with French nurses, for example, coming out lower on both measures. | UK nurses did not come out as the worst paid on either measure, with French nurses, for example, coming out lower on both measures. |
| Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay | Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay |
| Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay | Watch this video quiz to test your knowledge of nurses' pay |
| Health think tank the Nuffield Trust also compared UK nurses' pay with their counterparts in other countries - adjusting for the cost of living. | Health think tank the Nuffield Trust also compared UK nurses' pay with their counterparts in other countries - adjusting for the cost of living. |
| It found that UK nurses were paid more than those in France and the Czech Republic, for example, but less than those in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. | It found that UK nurses were paid more than those in France and the Czech Republic, for example, but less than those in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. |
| Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Gillian Keegan as the health secretary. | Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Gillian Keegan as the health secretary. |
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