NHS pay cap must end, say unions

Groups representing all parts of the health workforce have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister to say the one per cent cap is now putting safe patient care at risk.

NHS GDPs in England have seen taxable income – which remains the only source of investment in the service – fall by 35 per cent in a decade.

NHS Confederation boss Niall Dickson has said the cap is now jeopardising staff retention, and cross party MPs have called for an end to the policy. Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Stephen Crabb has argued the cap was a factor behind the Conservative Party’s failure to secure a parliamentary majority.

A full copy of the letter can be found below:

Dear Prime Minister,

By your own admission, austerity, and a lack of investment in the public sector was a significant factor in the general election result. Many have said that the pay freeze in the public sector was in part to blame for your failure to secure a parliamentary majority, alongside senior health leaders who agree that people who work in our NHS should be fairly rewarded for the work they do.