'Undervalued' nurses consider leaving island

A survey has revealed a third of Jersey nurses are considering leaving the island due to low pay and high stress.

According to the Royal College of Nursing, nurses in Jersey feel 'massively undervalued'.

Of 141 Jersey nurses surveyed, nearly two thirds are thinking of quitting their current jobs, with over half of those considering leaving the island to work elsewhere.

Nurses made comments such as:
“There’s a constant struggle to make ends meet.”
“Pay does not equate to the standard of living I could afford in the UK.”
“Being undervalued, overworked, not appreciated by the States. Fed up with false promises of changes for the better”.
“Patients’ quality of care is compromised. Patients and relatives are expecting a high quality of care that nurses are not able to provide due to staff shortages and increasing workload.”

This survey was carried out before the current announcement from the States of Jersey that all public sector staff will have their pay frozen for the next two years.

Kenny McNeil, Chairman of the RCN Jersey Branch, said: “We decided to survey staff on the island after members raised concerns with us regarding pay, morale and general working conditions for nurses in Jersey.

“We are very worried by the findings, particularly in relation to the number of nurses considering leaving the island altogether.

“We understand these are difficult times for everyone but the announcement of a pay freeze for the next two years was a bitter blow to nurses. We have seen the Jersey cost of living soar, while nurses’ pay has remained static and service demands increase.

“Something has to be done, we have been telling the States Employment Board for the last 4 years of the problems faced by nurses with little improvement. A sticking plaster won’t solve the problems. They need to act now."

Further details of the results include:

When asked how they were managing financially, 91.5 per cent said they were ‘finding it difficult’ or ‘getting by’.
Nine out of 10 thought the last nurses’ pay award on the island was ‘low’ or ‘very low’.
Asked how seriously they had considered leaving their organisation, 63 per cent said they had done so ‘very seriously’ or ‘fairly seriously’.
When asked, ‘If you have considered leaving, what would you do?’, 50 per cent said they would seek a new post outside Jersey.

In reply, Chief Minister, Ian Gorst, said in a statement: "In common with many other jurisdictions, the 2012/2013 public sector pay review is taking place against a difficult economic background.
"The 2012 budget does not allow for any increase in the public sector pay bill unless compensatory savings or increases in efficiency are made.
"The budget also highlights the need to meet Comprehensive Spending Review savings targets for 2012 and 2013.

"It should be noted that the Royal College of Nursing’s survey represents the views of a small proportion of their members in Jersey, and not just nurses who work for the States of Jersey.

"The survey was conducted before a series of specially funded initiatives, agreed by the SEB, were in place to aid the recruitment and retention of nurses.

"At the specific request of the Nursing and Midwives’ representatives, including the South East Regional Director of the RCN, one of the initiatives being pursued in collaboration with employee representatives is a review of pay, terms and conditions of service for all nurses and midwives.

"The terms of reference for this project have been agreed and the review is now underway, using a methodology that has been agreed by both parties.

"The number of Nursing and Midwifery vacancies has dropped in the last year and the States is doing everything it can to support nurses, midwives and the Health and Social Services Department as a whole."
(from CTV)

I have friends in Guernsey whom are considering the same thing

I am always amazed that there are so many people who are not satisfied with life in Guernsey. Compared to the UK these days life in Guernsey is a bed of roses.