Increase in registration fees for nurses and midwives is deeply disappointing says UNISON

Criticising the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) decision to increase registration fees, Gail Adams, Head of Nursing for UNISON said:

“It is deeply disappointing that the NMC are going ahead with the increase in fees. Registration fees have gone up by 52% in the past three years. So how are nurses and midwives expected to pay for this when their pay has been frozen since 2010?

“Nurses and midwives have no choice but to pay a registration fee as without it they can’t practice. And the truth is financial hardship has hit them hard and they simply can’t afford it so they will be understandably angry.

“We know that 36% of registrants are aged over 50, 20% over 55 and the NHS has long benefitted from older nurses returning to work on less hours. But a recent UNISON survey showed that more than half who those who responded said it would not be economical for them to do so anymore. So the service is now at risk of losing their valuable skills and experiences. This loss is bad for the NHS and bad for patients.

“We believe that Government should intervene and provide the NMC with sufficient funds to avoid any increase being imposed on nurses and midwives. We remain committed to working with the NMC to reduce the costs of fitness to practice which is its biggest expenditure.”

Currently 77% of the NMC’s income is spent on managing less than 0.6% of registrants whose fitness to practise is called into question.  While we recognise the progress made in processing these cases this continues to be the NMC’s biggest costs and this is unsustainable.  The irony is that a nurse or midwife today, could earn more from the NMC sitting as a panellist than they do caring for people.

For example, a nurse at the top of pay band 5, will have gained 7 years experience in clinical practise and will earn £28,180.00 PA or  £14.41 per hour (before tax). A panellist sitting for the NMC on a 4 day fitness to practise hearing, can claim £1,190 (before tax) this equates to £42.50 per hour.  To earn the same the nurse would only have to undertake 92 days work for the NMC in fitness to practise cases.

Gail Adams, added:

“We are seriously worried that registrants will vote with their feet and seek employment elsewhere as they simply cannot afford this fee rise.” 

Nurses and midwives will stage a four-hour stoppage on Monday 13 October in a dispute over pay following Government’s decision to reject the PRB recommendation and instead state that only NHS workers on top of their pay band would receive a 1% pay rise, denying a paltry 1% pay rise to 60% of the workforce.

NHS staff will also taking action short of strike action for four days from Tuesday 14 October when staff will refuse to work during their breaks.

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