NURSES have entered into a pay review with good grace but are not afraid to strike in the future, the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) leader said today.

Professor Nicola Ranger said there could also be targeted action at NHS trusts that do not reward band-five nurses fairly.

The RCN general secretary and chief executive described the government’s commitment to review every band-five nursing role in England as the “best opportunity to elevate nursing in decades.”

A band five nurse is an entry-level role for newly qualified registered nurses under the NHS Agenda for Change pay system.

But the RCN says that some staff spend decades — and sometimes their whole careers — on band five despite working at a higher level in terms of skills and responsibility.

In February it was announced that all band-five nurses are eligible for review and the move could mean a hike in pay, with the government providing funding to employers to cover salary increases.

Prof Ranger said that the RCN is waiting for the final plan on how the scheme will be rolled out but is expecting it in the coming weeks.

She said that the RCN will be “absolutely clear and unapologetic” in holding employers to account, which could mean targeted strikes at “outlier” NHS trusts.

“Both the NHS, the Department of Health, and us have to enter this with good faith: that is the spirit in which we will be starting this, and I very, very much hope that doesn’t come to that. No-one wants to lose a day’s pay, and the last thing patients want is more disruption.

“But we need to be really, really clear, we are deciding and agreeing to do that — but that does not mean that we are afraid to strike.”