Sir Simon Stevens, the outgoing chief executive of NHS England, has said that nursing staff deserve fair and appropriate pay, as part of his remarks at the NHS Confederation Conference.
Speaking in his final conference as NHS Chief Executive, Sir Simon discussed the challenges facing the NHS, including COVID-19 and the resulting pressures on staff. Funding was announced to expand the long-COVID service offer across the NHS, and the health service was alerted to prepare for the rollout of monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19, which will be available imminently and delivered via community services and regional networks in the coming months.
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‘It is welcome news to hear Sir Simon Stevens agree that nursing staff deserve fair and appropriate pay. We now need ministers to act and give nursing staff the pay rise they rightly deserve,’ said Pat Cullen, Acting General Secretary and Chief Executive at the Royal College of Nursing.
‘Sir Simon said when the health service is given the backing and the tools it needs it can deliver what's required. He also calls for a plan for the delivery of social care reform. These must be seen as more than the fine words of an outgoing leader but acted on by those in power now and delivered by those that follow.’
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