The additional funding intends to cover an uplift in pay for all salaried practice staff by around 6%. RCN Director for England, Patricia Marquis said, ‘Now that a further announcement has been made, the RCN is investigating exactly how this will impact the pay, benefits and terms and conditions of our members working in GP practices.’
In July, the Department of Health and Social Care announced the 2023-2024 pay award for GP contracts in England, accepting recommendations from NHS pay review bodies. The funding is based on the global sum, a resource that determines the amount of funding given to a practice on an estimate of their patient workload.
GP practices are set to receive this additional funding to cover not just pay rises for salaried GPs, but all salaried practice staff. However, as GP nursing staff are self-employed contractors, is it up to individual employers to determine this.
The RCN has stressed that all practices should use the additional funding on pay rises for GP nurses, as recommended by the British Medical Association. The RCN has also advised nurses to speak to their employers to ask how the additional sum is being used. If nurses are informed that they will not receive an uplift in pay, the RCN has promised to help them receive one. Patricia Marquis said, ‘You deserve to receive fair pay, and it's important we understand the full details of this provision and its funding to support you to access every additional penny you should receive.’