General practice nurses (GPNs) in Scotland will have to wait for the recommendations of the Review Body on Doctors and Dentists Remuneration (DDRB) and the government’s subsequent response before any pay increase can be implemented.
This is despite NHS nurses in Scotland receiving an 8% two-year pay offer from the Scottish Government earlier this week.
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On general practice staff pay, the Scottish Government confirmed that it is awaiting the DDRB recommendations, which will inform its uplift to general medical services funding. In the last pay round for 2024/25 this did not happen until the autumn.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland director told Nursing in Practice that while general practice nursing staff ‘play an essential role’ in delivering NHS services, ‘too many of them still aren’t receiving the fair pay they deserve’.
‘Many are employed directly by their general practice and so are not covered by the latest pay offer for NHS staff in Scotland. Their pay increases are funded through the GP Contract negotiations,’ he explained.
Mr Poolman said the college expected all GP employers receiving Scottish Government funding for pay increases to implement these each year, however recognised that ‘for a significant proportion’ of GPNs this is not happening.
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‘We advise practice-employed nursing staff in Scotland who do not receive the increase they are entitled to, to raise this with their employer,’ he added.
‘A much fairer solution is for employers to pass on the increase to practice-employed nursing staff automatically as funded by the Scottish Government each year.’
For the 2024-25 pay round, nurses employed directly by GP practices should have received a 5.5% pay increase, in line with the NHS Agenda for Change increase for the same year.
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A new and exclusive report by Nursing in Practice – carried out with our sister title Management in Practice – has this week added weight to concerns about GPN pay lagging behind that of secondary care NHS colleagues.
To find out more about the state of GPN pay and how to negotiate your pay, read the full report here
