The acrimonious pay battle has been put on pause as nurses' union representatives have "intense talks" with health secretary Steve Barclay.In a joint statement, the 

The acrimonious pay battle has been put on pause as nurses' union representatives have "intense talks" with health secretary Steve Barclay.

In a joint statement, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the government stated that the talks would center on "compensation, terms and conditions, and productivity-enhancing changes."

More than half of NHS trusts were expected to be impacted by the RCN's planned action on March 1 in addition to the scheduled walkout of nurses working in A&E and cancer care.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the RCN released a joint statement in which they expressed their commitment to working together to reach a "fair and reasonable settlement" that recognizes the critical role that nurses play in the NHS as well as the financial pressures the UK is currently under.

The talks would center on compensation, terms, and improvements that would increase productivity, it said. The Royal College of Nursing and the health secretary will meet on Wednesday to start discussions. During these negotiations, the Royal College of Nursing will suspend its strike.

The RCN has previously stated that to resolve the conflict, it would be open to dropping its demand for a 15% pay hike to a 10% pay increase.

But, the government has informed the NHS Pay Review Body that it can only provide a 3.5% raise.

In their application to the pay review committee for 2023–24, the DHSC stated: "Funding is available for pay awards up to 3.5% through the existing financial settlement provided by HM Treasury to the department and reprioritization choices.

"Pay awards over this level would necessitate trade-offs for the provision of public services, or increased government borrowing, at a time when headroom against budgetary rules is historically low and sustainable public finances are essential in the battle against inflation," the report stated.

Over 37,000 junior physicians voted in favor of launching a three-day strike next month, the British Medical Association (BMA) reported on Monday.

The "complete walkout" caused by the doctors' strikes would have an impact on all aspects of healthcare, including maternity, cancer, and GP services. To counteract a 26% real-term reduction in junior doctors' salaries between 2008 and 2021, the BMA is requesting action from the government. The BMA predicts that a wage raise of 35% would be required for this fiscal year to meet this demand.

The BMA said on Tuesday afternoon that it would meet with DHSC representatives on Wednesday but that it understood Mr. Barclay wouldn't be present at the "important" meeting.

The RCN's scheduled meeting with the health secretary and the BMA's planned gathering of public servants are separate events, according to the BMA.

Dr. Robert Laurenson, the co-chair of the BMA's Young Doctors Committee, said in a statement before to the meeting on Wednesday: "For a meeting of this significance to proceed without the minister in charge shows how little attention this government continues to devote to doctors and their patients.

"The meeting tomorrow is a highly significant chance for the minister and the government to put out a realistic solution — a proposal that may very likely prevent our planned strike and mark the beginning of the end of the NHS crisis, which is only getting worse.

"At a time when patient care is at an all-time low and waiting lists are at an all-time high, what else could be more crucial than attempting to prevent tens of thousands of junior doctors from going on strike? The government has the power to end the strike, but we beg Steve Barclay not to skip this important meeting.

Meanwhile, health minister Maria Caulfield has said that the junior doctors’ pay demands are “unrealistic”, and claimed that their strike action would “put patients at risk”.

Nurses suspend 48-hour strike action for pay talks with the government

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