BARROW nurses are among hundreds in the North West who are calling on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to increase their pay as part of a spending review this week.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking for a 12.5 per cent pay rise for nurses, claiming members feel “undervalued".

Mr Sunak is expected to impose a public sector pay freeze in his Spending Review this week, but it is understood NHS nurses and doctors could be exempt.

In Barrow and Furness, 12 RCN members have written to the MP calling for a pay increase in recognition of their work. They are joined by1,278 RCN members, as well as 116 non-members in the North West.

The RCN says the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with staffing shortages, has shown the public how deserving nurses are of “fair pay”.

NHS figures for June this year show the vacancy rate for nurses in the North West was 8.8 per cent, up from 8.7 per cent in March.

The RCN, which wants the 12.5 per cent pay rise for all nursing staff, is holding a virtual rally in support of its Fair Pay for Nursing campaign.

Chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said: “There isn’t an MP across the UK who can say they haven’t heard of our aim.The sheer numbers of people who have written, asking for politicians’ support, shows the high esteem in which the public holds nursing staff.

“Even though nursing staff have tackled a global pandemic with 50,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS across the UK, the Government continues to undervalue them."

On Sunday, Mr Sunak hinted he could impose a public sector pay freeze as part of his spending review by arguing it would be “entirely reasonable” to consider pay policy in an economy ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasury sources have suggested that pay for NHS staff will be dealt with separately. Mr Sunak also said £3 billion has been earmarked to support the NHS in recovering from the pandemic, including money to address backlogs caused by Covid-19.