Pay reform top priority as RCN chief sets out agenda for 2026

The head of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said pay reform will be central to the union’s work in 2026, warning that nurses remain ‘undervalued and underpaid’ despite the critical role they play in patient safety.

In a new year message to members, the RCN general secretary and chief executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said governments across the UK must fully recognise the contribution of registered nurses and the nursing support workforce, arguing that current pay structures fail to reflect nurses’ skills, responsibilities and clinical decision-making.

Championing career progression

Her comments follow the publication of an RCN report on career progression in the NHS, released shortly before Christmas, which found nurses experience slower progression through pay bands than other healthcare professions.

The report showed nurses are more than twice as likely to remain at Band 5 compared with allied health professionals, and that nursing is the only profession where staff can start and finish their career at the same pay band.

‘Nursing is worth more,’ Professor Ranger said, adding that many nurses feel stuck despite their experience and dedication.

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Professor Ranger linked pay issues to wider workforce pressures, warning that underinvestment in nursing was holding staff back and limiting the quality of care patients receive.

She said better pay and improved staffing levels would enable nurses to consistently deliver the standard of care they want to provide.

‘We need pay reform. I’ve heard from so many of you about the frustration of feeling stuck, despite your skills and dedication.

‘For months the RCN has been making this case to the UK Government, we believe there is an opportunity to create real, lasting change,’ she told members.

Upcoming elections

Alongside pay, Professor Ranger flagged that the RCN’s priorities for the year ahead include influencing upcoming elections in Scotland and Wales, with the RCN pledging to hold political parties to account on their commitments to nursing.

The RCN has already published its manifesto for Wales, with its Scottish manifesto due early this year.

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Risk of course closures

She also raised concerns about cuts to nursing education, highlighting the proposed closure of Cardiff University’s nursing course as an example of the risks posed by insufficient funding. The RCN, she said, would continue to oppose course closures and campaign to protect the future supply of nurses.

Safe staffing and corridor care

Safe staffing remains another key focus, with Professor Ranger reiterating evidence that too few registered nurses put patients at risk and increase mortality.

She highlighted new independent analysis commissioned by the RCN on nurse-to-patient ratios and renewed calls for safe staffing legislation across the UK, including progress on Safe and Effective Staffing legislation in Northern Ireland.

Professor Ranger said the RCN’s work exposing corridor care had helped push the issue up the political agenda, with the Westminster government reiterating its commitment to eradicate the practice.

She said the RCN would continue to scrutinise government action to ensure meaningful change is delivered.

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She also highlighted the passing of the Employment Act in December, which introduces a new negotiating body for adult social care. Professor Ranger said the RCN played a key role in strengthening the legislation for nursing staff and would continue to influence its implementation.

Concluding her message, Professor Ranger encouraged members to engage with the RCN’s democratic processes, including submitting agenda items for RCN Congress and attending activism and representatives’ conferences across the UK.

Speaking to Nursing in Practice at the end of last year, RCN director for England Patricia Marquis said addressing issues around the pay, terms and conditions of GPNs continues to be a ‘major’ piece of work for the union.