STUDENT nurses feel “undervalued and unappreciated” by pay freezes, according to a survey.

The Royal College of Nurses found that 86 per cent of student nurses agreed they were angry about the Government’s decision to not give nurses a one per cent pay rise.

Estephanie Dunn, regional director for the RCN North West Region, said it could push nurses to look for work overseas.

Ms Dunn said: “The results of the RCN’s survey- which is part of a wider national survey carried out between July and September, 2014, shows that nursing students are feeling disheartened and unvalued by the current government’s outrageous and unfair policy on NHS pay. NHS Trusts across the region are struggling to recruit and retain nursing staff. And yet, because of the Government’s refusal to pay a cost of living increase for nurses and health care assistants, we now have the very real possibility of seeing many of our current student nurses leaving the country to work abroad.”

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