Press Release - Immediate Release 23.04.03

85% of NHS employees think the government could do more to provide better pay

23rd April, 2003 - Four out of five NHS employees think that the government should do more to provide a better pay deal for NHS staff.

A poll carried out by NHS Discounts, the UK's largest website dedicated to NHS employees, revealed that 85% of NHS staff feel that the government isn't doing enough to secure a satisfactory pay deal.

The poll has been running for three weeks at www.nhsdiscounts.com and has attracted over 5,400 NHS staff from across the health service including nurses, managers, doctors, GPs, physiotherapists, office and support staff. According to the results, when asked how they felt about private sector employees being paid more than those in the public sector, just 5% said that money doesn't motivate them and that they enjoyed their job too much to care.

The poll also revealed that just 5% of NHS employees who responded are paid more than anyone else they know.

Rob Sanders, Managing Director of NHS Discounts, said: "The response to this poll demonstrates that despite proposed pay reforms such as "Agenda for Change", NHS staff still feel that the government could do more to secure a better deal."

NHS Discounts is an online community that is dedicated to helping all NHS employees save money. It is free to join and estimates that its discounts, across 160 companies, can save an NHS employee up to 10% on their annual salary. The site holds regular polls, often submitted by members themselves, giving people the opportunity to view their opinions relating to topical issues.

More than £2 million has so far been spent through NHS Discounts by health service staff, as new membership levels hit a record peak of more than 1,000 a week. The UK's major High Street names have rallied round the initiative, with discounts including:

• Reduced mortgage rates with the Halifax
• Five per cent off household appliances at Currys and Dixons
• Up to 50 per cent off books and medical titles at WH Smith
• Five per cent off computers and games consoles at PC World
• Up to 75 per cent off gym memberships

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For further information about www.nhsdiscounts.com, contact the PressRoom on 0808 1000 181 or email; pressroom@nhsdiscounts.com

About NHSDiscounts

NHS Discounts is an online community dedicated to helping all members of the NHS to save money. Launched in August 2001, the site is completely free to join and has already attracted over 80,000 members from all sectors of the NHS. It negotiates discounts with many well-known High Street brands such as Dixons, Currys, WHSmith, PC World, the AA, Eaglestar Insurance and the Halifax. These discounts are made available to all members of the NHS via the Internet and can save staff up to 10% of their annual salary.

NHS Discounts has also created an interactive community section where members can enter a wide range of competitions to win cash prizes of up to £1000, submit jokes to win prizes and catch-up on all the latest news in the health service. Membership to the site is only available to NHS employees and their families. More information can be found at www.nhsdiscounts.com.