The Royal College of Nursing is asking the support of readers to sign a petition at rcn.org.uk/nursingcounts demanding an end to the one per cent cap on nurses' pay.

"Public sector pay restraint has seen nurses wages drop in real terms by 14 per cent since 2010. It was recently announced that MPs would receive a further 1.4 per cent pay rise this year - MPs will have received pay increases amounting to nearly 14 per cent since 2010 - and yet the Government has maintained a one per cent pay cap on NHS staff, who work long shifts during unsociable hours trying to keep the nation healthy", said Jeannett Martin director for the RCN South West region.

"Nurses enjoy a diverse and rewarding career that really makes a difference but they must be wondering exactly what they have to do to merit a pay award which reflects the value of their work. There are currently 24,000 nurse vacancies across the UK. The NHS is struggling to cope with hospital bed shortages, long waiting times and understaffed wards".

The RCN needs to collect 100,000 signatures for Parliament to consider nurses' pay for debate. By signing the petition readers could make a difference.