RCN uses Nursing in Practice report to make case for nurse pay improvements
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has used Nursing in Practice data to make its case for improvements on general practice nurse pay for 2027/28.
In its submission to the independent pay review body for GPs – the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) – the RCN spotlighted the findings of Nursing in Practice’s annual salary survey of general practice nursing staff.
The DDRB is currently collecting evidence ahead of making recommendations to the government on 2027/28 pay uplifts for GPs and salaried general practice staff. In a letter to the DDRB, the RCN pointed to Nursing in Practice’s General practice nurse pay: A salary survey of the profession 2026 report which revealed 34% of general practice nursing staff had not received a pay rise for 2025/26 as at February 2026. Among those had who had, the average increase was around 3% – less than the 4% recommended by the government and the DDRB in England for 2025/26.
RCN deputy general secretary and chief executive Colin Poolman said our findings reflected that ‘many nursing staff working in general practice across England are missing out on annual uplifts’.
Appealing to the DDRB, he added: ‘We ask that your recommendations reflect the continuing failure of pay uplifts to reach many general practice nursing staff and the implications for recruitment, retention and the delivery of primary care.
‘We appreciate your consideration of this evidence and would welcome further opportunities to engage with the DDRB.
‘Recognition of general practice nursing in the pay review process is valuable, but it must now be accompanied by arrangements that reliably deliver fair pay to the staff on whom primary care depends.’ Nursing in Practice launched its second salary survey report at a Parliamentary event earlier this year, where MPs, the RCN, nurses and other members of the general practice team discussed the issue of general practice nurse pay, terms and conditions – and the need for a united approach to improve the situation.
Other findings within the report included that general practice nurses are earning thousands of pounds less than their NHS Agenda for Change counterparts and that a significant 32% are looking to quit the profession in the next 12 months, largely because of pay and feeling undervalued.