Even if the NHS pay cap is removed, pressure to contain staffing costs will continue unabated

Will the government end the pay freeze in England? The RCN has been protesting to ‘scrap the cap’, and the Scottish Government has already announced it will do just that next year. There is speculation that there may be an announcement in October, near Budget-time. But as we may be some years away from a general election, cynics argue the government in England might regard a pay boost now as a wasted opportunity in electoral terms.