A 1% pay rise for NHS heroes is a sign of the government’s gratitude for their service during the pandemic, a health minister has suggested.
Health service unions denounced the proposed award as a "kick in the teeth" for staff who had given "absolutely everything" over the past year to keep the public safe.
But Mental Health minister Nadine Dorries defended the 1% rise - which is expected to be a real terms pay cut after inflation - as “what we can afford.” Told the measly increase indicated nurses were a low priority for the government, Ms Dorries said: “It's a statement of what we think we can afford because we want to acknowledge nurses and doctors and healthcare workers. “All other public sector workers are facing a pay freeze, having