District nurses in Glasgow win rebanding after job evaluation dispute

District nurses in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GGC) have won their dispute over job evaluation, with roles now rebanded from Band 6 to Band 7 following sustained pressure from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and other trade unions.

The dispute began after NHS GGC failed to carry out a job evaluation using a district nursing job description agreed and ready for assessment in 2023. This affected Band 6 district nurses who hold the specialist practitioner qualification in district nursing.

District nurses staged a protest outside NHS GGC offices in August, and an overwhelming majority of RCN members said they were willing to take strike action, with 98% supporting industrial action in an indicative ballot held in September 2024.

Other unions, including GMB Scotland and Unison, had reported support for strike action among their members.

However, the RCN has now confirmed that eligible district nurses will be rebanded to Band 7, with the uplift backdated to May 2022.

Nurses have now received written confirmation from the health board, but the RCN said its trade dispute will remain active until all staff have been rebanded and have received the full backpay owed.

Barbara Sweeney, senior officer at RCN Scotland, said: ‘We are delighted with the successful outcome of this dispute and want to congratulate the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde district nurses on their much-deserved rebanding.

‘District nursing teams are vital to our community health services and the impact of their work is felt across the system. This outcome is a recognition of their clinical skills and the essential work they do every day.’

Philip Coghill, head of pay, terms and conditions at RCN Scotland, said: ‘There is no doubt that this is the right outcome for our members in Glasgow, but I am confident that this does not stop here.

‘This outcome should serve as notice to other NHS Boards that the safety critical role of district nurses, and many other roles across the nursing profession, are not being fairly recognised and rewarded.’

Meanwhile, Unison Scotland area organiser Henrietta Cameron said the news was a ‘monumental victory’ for district nurses.

‘After years of fighting, nurses remained united to win the correct banding that reflects the essential roles and vital care they deliver across our communities.

‘It was the strength and unity of their strike mandate that secured both the rebanding and millions of pounds of backpay they were owed.’

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the organisation ‘greatly value the work of our district nurses in our communities and remain committed to working in partnership with them to deliver a high standard of care for our patients’.

‘We fully support the modernisation of roles, and we are pleased that we have been able to agree a positive outcome to this matter.’

A recent report commissioned by the Queen’s Institute of Community Nursing found that one in four district nurses are at a lower pay band than the typical starting point for the profession.

In addition, some employers are creating ‘new roles’ at lower pay bands in ‘replacement’ of district nurses, according to the RCN District and Community Nursing Forum.