"Nurses still overworked and underpaid" - Farron

Local MP, Tim Farron has today criticised the government over pay rates for nurses in the NHS. This comes following the announcement that nurses will receive a staged pay rise of 1.5% for April 2007 and 1% in November 2007, which will result in a significant real terms pay cut because of the rate of interest.

Mr Farron also raised concerns over the pay rises for other NHS staff while nurses' salaries remained relatively stagnant.

Mr Farron said:

"The biggest beneficiaries of pay rises in the NHS in recent years have been those who are already better paid than nurses. Nurses continue to do admirable work and deserve a decent rate of pay.

"The staged nature of the pay rise will hit nurses hard, the money that has been wasted over the years by this government on expensive IT 'solutions' that have subsequently been scrapped would have been much better spent on nurses pay."