Health secretary accuses nurses of ‘taking money from operations’ with pay demands

‘We’d have to take money away from patients waiting for operations to fund additional pay’ Steve Barclay claims

The health secretary has accused nurses poised to strike for higher pay of seeking to grab money badly needed for millions of people who are waiting for NHS surgery.

Steve Barclay stuck to his refusal to enter talks about pay – insisting that is a matter for the “independent” review body – despite the health unions’ offer to suspend the strikes if he agreed to do so.

Instead, he claimed conceding higher pay would force him to divert funds earmarked for bringing down the record post-Covid treatment backlog, which stands at more than 7 million people.