Nurses jeer as Dobson says sorry for staged pay award

Mr Dobson told the congress on Monday that he was 'genuinely sorry' for this year's staged 3.8 per cent rise, adding: 'I look forward to being able to avoid it in the future.'

He tried to laugh off a stony silence as he took the podium to address the 2,000 congress delegates in Bournemouth.

Last year he was given a standing ovation.

On pay, he told them: 'We must listen to what everybody has got to say. That's the only way we can come up with a pay system that commands the support of all concerned - because the present system clearly doesn't.'

But he was met with a cry of 'So why did you do it then?' and a group of students held up a banner proclaiming, 'Students say no to staged pay'.

His reminder that he expected trust chief executives to peg their pay rises was met with a disdainful laugh from the floor.

RCN general secretary Christine Hancock had earlier warned: 'If we can't keep our nurses and attract new people there won't even be an NHS in 10 years' time.'

Mr Dobson announced a£23m package aimed at enhancing the nurse's role and£14m to fund a long-promised extension to nurse prescribing.

Prescribing rules would also be changed, he said, paving the way for an extension of the nurse formulary and opening up the possibility of nurses prescribing from the wider British National Formulary .

'The extension of nurse prescribing is far too important a development to be left to the pace of the slowest. Patients across the country need to get the benefits sooner rather than later, ' he told congress.

Mr Dobson also backed the recommendations of the Crown review's interim report on group protocols, which is due out this week. It states that the law should be clarified to ensure that nurses supplying under protocols are acting within the law and that current protocols should be reviewed.

The full report is expected in June or July, but Mr Dobson said he would not be surprised to see prescribing power for nurses in the acute sector included in that.

The RCN welcomed the move, but urged the government not to stop short of giving all specialist nurses the opportunity to prescribe.

Mary Daly, professional officer with the Community Practitioners' and Health Visitors' Association, said: 'It's a start to rebuilding the nursing profession after years of abuse and neglect.'

But she stressed the need to proceed cautiously, adding: 'It must be done safely, hence the need for extra training.

It's important nurses don't become trigger-happy with their prescription pads and that they prescribe from a nursing perspective.'

Mr Dobson also fleshed out The New NHS white paper's pledge to set up national consultation on a strategy for nursing. He offered£9m of measures to get more nurses working, and pledged to bankroll return-to-practice courses to the tune of£4m.

He said immediate action would be taken to train an extra 20,000 district nurses and health visitors.

But he was again jeered by nursing students when he announced a£122 boost to bursary levels - the first hike for non-means-tested bursaries for three years.

Nursing students at congress were squaring up for a fight with the RCN executive over calls for a probationary year for new nurses, outlined in its evidence to the government review of nurse regulation.

The Association of Nursing Students has submitted an emergency motion rejecting the idea.