Fair pay and protection for nurses and midwives

In order to work as a nurse or midwife in the UK we pay an annual fee of £120 to the nursing and midwifery council. This payment doesn't protect us from being sued and doesn't offer other benifits like protected uniforms, working hours or pay increases.  The nmc offers a code of conduct that all nurses and midwives must adhere to. This code includes putting our patients first and ensuring we offer the highest standards of care.

As caring people we became health care providers to help those in need. Our ethical obligation to those people means that we are unable to strike against unfair working conditions. Our patients are more important and that's why we do the work we do .  

However the time has come for nurses and midwives to be heard. We don't want alot. We would like the pay increase we have been promised for years (1%), we would like a national protected uniform for all bands so that we are recognised as professionals. We would like the money we pay each year to go towards the improvement of the nhs and the ways front line staff are treated.  

It has recently been implimented that we must pay into a union each month in order to maintain our registration. This is an additional £18 per month for each of us just so that we can do our jobs. This money provides us with protection from legal action. We understand our profession can have risks; we are human and errors sadly can happen. However when they don't and we do our jobs to the best of our ability we improve the lives of millions of patients and their loved ones. 

Nurses and midwives should be celebrated for all the good they do and rewarded for their loyalty to the national health service.

Please take the time to sign this petition and highlight the needs of your nurses and midwives.