UNIONS are urging the government to ditch the “broken” independent NHS pay review body (PRB) process.

Unison, Unite and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling on him to hold direct pay talks with unions instead.

A million NHS staff in England “yet again” face a delay in getting their pay rise in April, while ministers wait for the “inefficient, outdated and not fit for purpose” PRB to report, they said. 

Today is the deadline for sending evidence to the review body, but the unions are not submitting anything this year.

Their letter said: “Sticking with the out-of-date PRB process risks repeating the mistakes of the past.

“That doesn’t fit with your wider vision for a 21st-century NHS that has a stable and motivated workforce at its core.

“The PRB process is outdated and belongs to a bygone age. It takes forever, is bureaucratic and is inefficient too.

“Scrapping this would save tens of thousands of pounds and spare the NHS, the government and other health organisations the many hours it currently takes to compile, submit and present evidence.”

Unison’s assistant general secretary Jon Richards said: “The PRB process is from a bygone era and should be axed.

“A modern NHS needs modern pay practices to keep and recruit the staff it needs.

“The government should scrap the inefficient twin-track approach to NHS pay, save itself some money and focus on direct talks with unions instead.”

RCN general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Our members need action and clarity on their future now so we can rebuild the nursing profession, the NHS and modernise the way care is delivered.

“That is why we need to get round the table for meaningful discussions.”

Unite national officer for health Richard Munn said: “The PRB process is broken beyond repair.

“NHS staff have suffered substantial real-terms pay cuts for over a decade.

“This has created a huge recruitment and retention crisis.”

In its submission to the review body, the GMB union said its research suggested that two-thirds of NHS workers had considered finding other jobs in recent months because of issues including pay and staffing.

GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison said: “Real-terms pay cuts, understaffing, a global pandemic — it’s no surprise they’re ready to throw the towel in, or wish they’d never joined.”