Nurses are preparing for “intensive” talks with the government after the strike has been paused

Health Secretary Stephen Barclay is due to meet the heads of the Royal College of Nursing for pay talks at a later date, after the union suspended a strike planned for next week.

In a joint statement, after months of bitter disagreement, the two sides said they would begin “extensive talks” on “wages, terms and conditions” and “productivity-enhancing reforms”.

The RCN had originally asked for a 5% wage increase on top of inflation.

Since then she has said she is ready to meet the government halfway.

Other health unions said they were disappointed not to be invited to the discussions.

Next week’s strike in England, from 1-3 March, was due to be the biggest in a wage dispute this winter, with half of the front-line services affected.

The measure would have included nursing staff from emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt.

RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said, “We’ll put our plans on the table, and they can put theirs on the table – but I’m confident we’ll come up with a fair settlement of pay for our nursing staff.”

She added that they would make sure that no stone was left unturned and that a fair wage agreement be reached as soon as possible so that they could end the strikes.

Ministers have refused for months to discuss adding an average of 4.75% to the 2022-2023 salary bonus for nurses and other staff.

For its part, the RCN has marked that line in the sand – and it’s fair to assume that the union’s chairman, Pat Cullen, would not have been involved in the new talks if there had been no softening of the government’s position.

And she told the NHS Wage Review Board she was ready to offer a 3.5% increase. But he does not rule out going even higher.

No one is confirming the exact scope of Wednesday’s discussions, but it seems likely that some sort of push to add to the existing prize could be mooted this year.

A source close to the negotiations said that the door was opened to return the compensation for next year retroactively.

The joint statement said: “The government and the RCN have agreed to enter into an extensive process of talks.

“The parties are committed to finding a fair and reasonable settlement that recognizes the vital role nurses and nursing staff play in the NHS, the broader economic pressures facing the UK and the Prime Minister’s priority to cut inflation in half.

“The Minister of Health will meet with the RCN on Wednesday to begin talks. RCN will pause the strike during these talks.”

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers representing health directors, said they would “breathe a sigh of relief” at the news.

“The past weeks have seen an alarming escalation in industrial strikes, which have hit the sick hard. This is the glimmer of hope we all need,” he said.

The NHS is facing more industry strikes from unions representing ambulance drivers and junior doctors, and more dates could be announced.

The Scottish government has presented NHS staff – including nurses – with a new wage offer for next year that includes a one-off payment and an average salary increase of 6.5% from April.