A hospital trust could cut mental health nurse’s salaries by up to £9,000 a year. Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is proposing making the changes to its Mental Health Liaison Team at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath. The trust is also considering removing its Mental Health Liaison Team from the Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre entirely to fill existing vacancies in the Princess Royal.
One member of staff, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It’s very hard to go into work day-to-day with this hanging over our heads. “People aren’t attracted to the job in the same way anymore. “Some of the conversations we have had are that we all need to be aware of the financial climate and the situation in the NHS.
There’s a sense that we need to sacrifice our income for the greater good – but we aren’t financially set enough to do that.” Documents seen by The Argus suggest the changes are being proposed to save as much as £120,000 and bring staff salaries in line with other Mental Health Liaison Team nurses in the trust. According to the proposal, senior nurses within the team would be placed in a lower NHS pay band.
The move, from band 7 to band 6, equates to roughly a £9,000 pay cut for more senior nurses and just under £8,000 for junior staff members. Staff pay would be protected for 12 months following the proposed changes should they be implemented. The changes would come into effect around the Christmas and New Year period.
The plans also.