Data from the NHS Business Services Authority reveals that 11,937 nurses have opted out of their pension schemes since April last year.
Jodie Elliot, a London nurse opted out because she could no longer afford it.
‘I work full-time and despite constantly picking up extra work, I just couldn’t make ends meet. I had no choice but to leave the scheme’.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) reported that the salary of a newly qualified nurse in England and Wales is approximately £27,000 which would pay £183 of their salary into their pension fund. However, this money is needed by nurses to pay for energy bills and food costs.
To read more on this topic
- Can primary care nurses get a better deal on pay and conditions? (independentnurse.co.uk)
- Is your pension on track? (independentnurse.co.uk)
- RCN’s first ever strike ballot opens, as yes vote urged by leadership (independentnurse.co.uk)
RCN Chief Executive Pat Cullen called out ministers saying that ‘enough is enough’.
‘With living costs soaring, this situation is only going to get worse. Some nurses are having to use food banks just to get by.’
Further data shows that 23,000 NHS staff opted out of their pensions because of affordability and having other financial priorities.
Miss Elliot described her decision to opt out of her pension as ‘agonising’, but she said, ‘every single month I was getting to the bottom of both my overdrafts despite being extremely careful.’
The Department of Health and Social Care responded to the figures saying ‘the government’s Energy Price Guarantee will save the typical household around £700 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third. In addition, we have provided at least an extra £1,200 of cost-of-living support to 8 million of the most vulnerable households.’