Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 3:22 pm on 10 May 2023.
A major reason for nurses leaving the NHS is low pay and real pay cuts. I shall refer the Minister to some numbers off the wage slip of a nurse with two children: gross pay is £30,000; income tax and national insurance are £5,600; her rent is £18,000 a year; and energy is close to £3,000. That leaves £3,400 to spend on everything else. The only way that she can make ends meet is by coming out of the pension scheme and relying on food banks. Can I invite the Minister and the Health Secretary to see if they can survive on £3,400 a year?