HEALTH workers have slammed the one per cent pay rise for NHS staff and called again for a special 'Oxford weighting' to keep people in the county.

Doctors, nurses, porters and midwives are among those to receive the increase recommended by the NHS pay review body (PRB), which has been called 'derisory'.

Ian McKendrick, communications officer for Oxfordshire Unison Health Branch, said it would exacerbate a 'major recruitment crisis' in Oxfordshire.

Concerns have also been raised that staff unable to move away are facing steep cost of living rises and even reported colleagues turning to food banks.

Mr McKendrick said: "This is not adequate at all after years of below-inflation pay rises. Since 2010 we have lost between 12 and 16 per cent in real terms.

"Even though we are praised for doing wonderful things and are expected to do more all the time, it's not reflected in the pay."

Current figures put Oxford at the third-least affordable city in the UK, with an average house price of £409,700.

High cost area supplements (HCAS), similar to 'London weighting', are paid to all NHS staff working in high-cost areas in inner and outer London and 'fringe' zones.

Oxford is classed as a 'fringe' zone, so workers receive an extra £961 to £1,665 to offset living costs, compared to London, where they can expect £4,158 to £6,405.

But Mr McKendrick said: "The contract was negotiated 15 years ago and the gap was not as big then. We have fallen a long way.

"Pressure is building and the conversation doesn't go anywhere. I met with workers the other day and the mood was ugly. It's hurting people."

According to Unite's national head of health nurses, midwives and radiographers will earn barely £5 a week more next year, a real-terms pay cut.

David Bailey, a Band 5 nurse at the John Radcliffe Hospital, said: "Nurses are finding it difficult to get by.

"We are all running up credit card debts and have seen evidence of nurses having to use hardship funds to go to food banks.

"Lots of us have families and can't move to cheaper areas at the drop of a hat; we are stuck in a situation where you are held to ransom."

Speaking to the Oxford Mail, outgoing OUH chief nurse Catherine Stoddart said the high cost of living was a 'challenge' as nursing 'doesn't particularly pay well'.

Since 2010, the PRB has been working within the government's policy of public sector pay restraint but said this policy was coming under 'significant stress'.

In a statement, the Department of Health said: "The dedication and sheer hard work of our NHS staff is absolutely crucial to delivering world-class care for patients.

"We are pleased to announce that all NHS staff will receive a one per cent pay increase."