Future of NHS Pension, your views?

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Hello to all fellow collegues. As an experienced nurse, within the NHS (Accident and Emergency) with reguards to terms and conditions of employment, the NHS Pension is important to me, and I am shore to you all. After many years of loyal employment within the NHS, we should, as all of us in the uk, be entitled to a good standard of living in retirement. However some of the proposed changes to the pension, including extending the age of retirement, and changing pensions to a percentage of average salary, rather then a percentage of end salary, shorely will only be of detriment to us all. What are the benefits to the NHS workforce who are paying into the NHS Pension?.

As quoted in a recent BBC Documentary (By the regulators of Public service pensions) on the proposed changes to NHS pensions " these changes are being proposed because the government is unable to provide such pensions because "We are living longer, and so costing the government more then it can support in pensions on retirement". With at present our contributions to the NHS pension scheme, as with the state pension, paying for those who have already retired, rather then being invested for our futures, which at present is questionable with reguards to pensions.

So what can we do about this, will we sit back and take it, like much of the policy which is pasted with little questioning from the nursing front, or shall we fight for our futures. I hope the Nursing unions dont back down on this important issue, and I hope when the time comes to fight, all those Nurses join with me in the uk, at what ever the cost and fight for their futures, the futures of future nurses and the futures of our patients, who will once again suffer through even further reduced nursing numbers in the uk, as a direct result of any further reduction in the terms and conditions of NHS nursing / health care employment.

Please vote for no change in current pension arangements, when the time comes through your union, and in the streets if needs be. Take care all of you, please post your views on this topic.

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I wonder if the lack of replies to this thread reflects the apathy of nurses towards this topic. Or perhaps many of the people who post on this board don,t care about pensions, as they believe that they will will soon be living in the U.S. The changes which the government plan for our pensions are disgraceful. In my opinion they are part of their modernisation program along with Agenda for Change. Perhaps I'm being cynical but i believe that they are both part of a cost cutting exercises. They believe that they can pay us a little more now but decrease the pension significantly, thus cost cutting tremendously. It would be very sad if nurses are apathetic and allow the government to make these changes witout contesting them. Or perhaps we can all go to America, where the pensions are less but the wages are higher.

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Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

lack of replies...........maybe lots of us are stunned!!

yep I read about the changes.... and dont support them. I'm working my tail off and looks like I will be doing that for longer than I had planned! But as to how to stop it.. well I dont have much faith in the RCN at times. the impending (hopefully) regulation of NPs is more down to us NP's making total nuisances of ourselves ( I bet the NMC are sick of getting emails and letters from NP's) than the RCN. Also as a nurse employed in General Practice, I am not included in Agenda for Change... a fact which seems to have escaped most nurses! The RCN are supposed to be working for us on this but so far the GP's are to be 'encouraged' to offer us AfC.............. so while you are all undergoing the painful process of job evaluations etc, us in general practice are watching with envy!! oh... and there is no way I would go back to working in a hospital setting so guess I should just live with it!!!! ( I wont.........will keep lobbying!!)

will be interesting to see what happens!!

Karen

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
lack of replies...........maybe lots of us are stunned!!

yep I read about the changes.... and dont support them. I'm working my tail off and looks like I will be doing that for longer than I had planned! But as to how to stop it.. well I dont have much faith in the RCN at times. the impending (hopefully) regulation of NPs is more down to us NP's making total nuisances of ourselves ( I bet the NMC are sick of getting emails and letters from NP's) than the RCN. Also as a nurse employed in General Practice, I am not included in Agenda for Change... a fact which seems to have escaped most nurses! The RCN are supposed to be working for us on this but so far the GP's are to be 'encouraged' to offer us AfC.............. so while you are all undergoing the painful process of job evaluations etc, us in general practice are watching with envy!! oh... and there is no way I would go back to working in a hospital setting so guess I should just live with it!!!! ( I wont.........will keep lobbying!!)

will be interesting to see what happens!!

Karen

Hi Karen

Thankfully my gp's are keep to participate in afc but what irrates me the most is that the govenment are implimenting these changes I think mainly cos of the large exodus of nurses leaving the profession, which makes me wonder why I stayed 19 years but also that they are throwing more stuff at us in primary care. Not sure where they think the staff are coming from or who is going to provide the training. I have had no help from my pct re respiratory management although they have now employed a development/chronic management nurse

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

:Melody:

Really dont know or understand the new changes to pension as just getting to grips with AFC.

All I can envisage in the future is loads more paperwork whilst we implement KSF, because as I understand it KSF has to be individualised to each health care worker. I would like to know when senior nurses are going to get time to do this, as well as everything else. Sometimes I think we forget one small little element of nursing 'the Patient'. :rotfl:

I can only hope my trust can put more money into education and further training to ensure all nurses/health care workers are able to pass through their gateway. On my unit we have had no money for further training for 2 years for trained staff because our bid for funds was mislayed!!!! If this happens again then experienced staff will not meet criterias for increments passed their gateway and there is a potential for them not to be paid more than junior staff.

We have done lots of in house teaching and have accessed a couple of free courses run by the trust, but we are a neuro speciality and it is not good enough.

:o Sorry didnt mean to ramble on but dont feel AGF will bring us anything but further heartache and I wait to be proven wrong.

By the GOOD MORNING :rolleyes: :balloons:

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I am so glad that you are discussing this on here. where i work there just seems to be a general apathy about the pensions and the changes that the government want to impose.

I personally find it difficult to try and get my head around exactly what they are trying to implement apart from the fact that i will probably finish up working longer than i anticipated.

As i am sure applies to many nurses, i have worked full time, part time and taken time off to have children and have never been sure how this affects my final pension.

I have another 20 odd years to work yet, so i want to make sure i am doing the right thing now. any advice from fellow nurses would be gratefully recieved. :confused:

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Specializes in midwifery, ophthalmics, general practice.

I have a problem with 2 things really..

1. the suggestion that the retirement age be raised to 65. In common with most older nurses (remember learning to lift using the australian lift anyone??) I have a bad back. its ok most of the time but not sure about working to 65..maybe I can retire on ill health. which is what I think will happen. more and more of us will be retiring on ill health grounds

2. I too have worked part time and after 26 as a nurse I have only managed to acrue 16yrs of pension (I asked the pension scheme) so if I get paid on my average earnings.. it wont be a lot!! But if I go on my last 3 yrs earnings which is how it stands now then as a nurse practitioner hoping to get band 8.. well.. I would be much better of financially.

so I have mixed feelings about this. I'm selfish enough to want a decent pension (and a decent back) and I will lose out big time if this new deal goes through. so thinking...........

Karen

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i too have mixed feelings in that i have worked mainly full time and paid into the pension scheme since i was 18.

by the time i am 60 i had hoped to be working part time so i wouldnt actually want the final pension to go off the last few years pay.

however I certainly dont want to be working till i am 65.

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i too have mixed feelings in that i have worked mainly full time and paid into the pension scheme since i was 18.

by the time i am 60 i had hoped to be working part time so i wouldnt actually want the final pension to go off the last few years pay.

however I certainly dont want to be working till i am 65.

I am one of the lucky one's i suppose. I will have completed 30years service (all at mental Health Officer status) by the time I am 55 and before 2013 which gives me a full 40yr pension. I do however think the scheme is scandalous as most nurses are only at their maximum earning capacity in later years and pensions will be based on many years on a lower salary and nurses will need to work to n65 to maintain a standard of living. You may remember that Mental health officer status was withdrawn some years ago and to my mind this is another hammer blow to a profession struggling to recruit now. As for A4C, is this not yet another "Clinical grading" exercise which will only demoralise an already demoralised workforce. Retirement for me in 2 years is now the only motivation I have, but I will argue against these proposals. This is after all an election year and we should ensure this issue has maximum exposure.

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Hi there everyone,

I am looking at starting the nursing diploma next September, but i am also increansingly discouraged by the nursing wages nurses enjoy in the US compared to ours in the UK. What the government seems to be doing with pensions is indeed regrettable and most likely will backfire.

Some time ago the US nursing situation was also pretty dire, they were over stretched, not well paid etc, which lead to a huge shortage of nurses and compromised patient care. However today that has changed i was in MA a couple of months ago , and the nurses along other medical staff wore their uniforms real proud as they are now looked upon as fundamental pieces in a hospital setting along side doctors and take a look at their salaries it surely reflects that. I can't imagine we can honestly feel that up about nursing in the Uk and again things usually change they just seem to always take longer than elsewhere...unless we make our voices a litle more heard!!!

carla

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the new pension scheme is voluntary, you can either stay in the one we have now or transfer over to the new one. Everyone will get an imaginary pension with both pensions to see which one will be best for them. The only advantage with the new scheme as i see it is that you can go part time near the end of your career, and they will count your best 3 years of salary for you pension (i think in the previous 10 years rather than at present).

For me anyway, i am going to have to work till i'm 60 full time anyway.

The way I'm looking at it, is that my mum died at 72 so if I retire at 60 I have 12 years to live and enjoy myself, after that dont give a toss. The government then has to pay me 12 years of pension. However if I retire at 65 I will only have 7 years to enjoy myself and therefore save the government 5 years of additional pension payouts. Plus I dont know how decrepid I will be at 65. This is my basis of how I am making my pension plan. Not very logical but hey ho! You have to base it on something.

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Hi all.

It's high time for nurses to get together and fight together. We've been abused and taken for a ride on compassionate grounds by all government. Politicians and unions have manipulated our dedication, compassion and concept of supporting others in time of needs to their very own end. Why they have succeeded to do so , because WE NURSES ARE WEAK,EASILY MANIPULATED ON COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS AND WE ARE OUR OWN ENEMIES WHEN IT COMES TO GET TOGETHER ANF FIGHT WITH ONE SPIRIT. We have no choice now, other than to stand up as one. Why should we be the carrier of everyones burden at all times. The country is in a mess because of BIG FAT CATS, BANKERS AND CARELESS CITY FLYERS ALONG WITH POLITICIANS ABUSING THEIR POSITIONS, AND NOE WE , THE HARD WORKING CLASS IS PRESSURED TO TAKE THE RAPT FOR BLUNDERS COMMITTED BY OTHERS. WE CONTRIBUTE HEAVILY TO OUR PENSION SCHEME AND WORK HARD THROUGH OUT THE YEARS TO ACCUMULATE A GOOD PENSION AT RETIREMENT. WHY SHOULD WE BE BULLIED NOW TO ACCEPT UBREASONABLE CHANGES BECAUSE OF BLUNDERS COMMITTED BY OTHERS. THE GOVERNMENT, THOUGH STILL DENYING IS PRIVATISING THE HEALTH SERVICE DAY BY DAY BEHIND CLOSE DOORS, AND THE POPULATION IS STILL BELIEVING THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS NO PLNS TO PRIVATISE THE SERVICE. THE GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY PRIVATISE AGAINST EVERYONE'S WILL THE LEARNING DISABILITIES SECTION. THESE PEOPLE NOW ARE AT THE MERCY OF PRIVATE ENETRPRISE WHOSE AIMS IS ONLY PROFIT. CARE DELIVERY IN THIS FIELD IS TAKING A SERIOUS BLOW , BUT IT SEEMS NOONE CARES. THE PROBLEM IN THIS COUNTRY IS ' THE PROBLEM OF SOMEONE ELSE ISN'T MY CONCERN' WHEN WE HEAR ABOUT TUBE/TRAIN STRIKE, THE REST OF US NOT EMPLOYED BY THESE SERVICES ALWAYS COMPLAIN AS TO WHY THESE PEOPLE ARE ON STRIKE, BUT FAIL TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND, OR TO GIVE THEM SUPPORT IN ANYWAY TO FIGHT FOR THIER LEGITIMATE CAUSE, OR TRY TO FIND OUT THE REAL ISSUE. WE ARE TOO QUICK TO COMPLAIN. WE ARE A NATION OF MOURNERS, UNABLE TO STICK TOGETHER AND FIGHT FOR A REASONABLE LIVING, EARNING WHAT IS FAIR FROM WHAT WE PRODUCE.

PLEASE NURSES, FOR ONCE STICK TOGETHER, PAY ATTENTION TO OTHERS PLIGHT AND FIGHT AS ONE ON THIS ISSUE.'' OUR PENSION SCHEME''

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