Did ‘nine out of 10 nurses’ reject their pay award?

Articles published by the Guardian and the Telegraph on 31 July claimed that nine-in-10 nurses have rejected the NHS staff pay award for this year.

This figure refers to the results of a vote held by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union, but doesn’t take into account that not every nurse in the union voted, and not all nurses are represented by the RCN.

How the vote was run

Health, and therefore NHS staff pay, is devolved. Earlier this year, health secretary Wes Streeting announced that NHS nurses in England would receive a 3.6% pay increase for 2025/26, with the Welsh government offering the same. Northern Ireland’s health minister Mike Nesbitt announced his intention to match the 3.6% rise, however no funding has yet been made available, and the RCN has launched a formal pay dispute as a result.

NHS staff in Scotland voted to accept their own pay award earlier this year.

The RCN asked its members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to vote on whether or not the 3.6% pay rise was “enough”.

It told us its exact question was: “The government has awarded a 3.6% pay increase, backdated to 1 April 2025, for the 2025-26 financial year. Is the government's 3.6% pay award enough?”

They could then answer yes or no. The RCN told us that 91% of its members who voted in England, Wales and Northern Ireland said no.

But only 56% of nurses who were consulted took part in the vote, and while turnout was high enough to reportedly constitute the RCN’s largest consultation ever, that means nearly half of NHS nurses working in these countries who were consulted did not vote at all.

The RCN’s figures suggest that, of the total number of nurses who were consulted, around half (51%) said the award wasn’t enough (though it’s important to note that we don’t know how those who didn’t respond feel about the award).

The Guardian made the claim in a headline, saying: “Nine out of 10 nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reject pay award”, while the Telegraph subheading said “Nine in 10 nurses turn down 3.6pc increase as RCN threatens Wes Streeting with ballot”.

Both articles go on to say that the turnout was 56%.

It’s also important to remember that the RCN doesn’t represent all nurses, with some belonging to other unions.

We’ve contacted both outlets, but the Guardian declined to comment.

Statistics on their own have limitations. The way they are presented is a crucial part of how they are interpreted and understood by the public. If data is presented without context or caveats, it can give an incomplete or misleading picture. As the Office for Statistics Regulation states in their regulatory guidance, selective use of data or use of data without appropriate context can lead to misuse which damages public trust.