Nursing jobs could be more popular if they got paid better, according to trade union, Unison. Most sisters are paid on band 6, which means the maximum salary for some is £33,000 - but Unison believes this amount does not reflect their responsibilities and thinks they should be paid on band 7.

The public sector trade union has said it is backing for a Nursing Standard campaign aimed at increasing the status and authority of ward sisters and charge nurses. The chances of more nurses entering nursing are more likely to increase if the band of pay is enhanced.

Head of Nursing Gail Adams said: "Whatever the job title, there can be only one ward manager, the nurse who is responsible for the quality of care delivered on the ward, who carries 24-hour responsibility for that care, and who manages a team of staff."

She believes staff will feel more recognised and authoritative if their pay is increased: "It is very easy for ward managers to feel undermined, they have a huge amount of responsibility and are accountable for many things, but some of their authority has been taken away. We think setting a benchmark would go some way to tackling this problem."

Several medical colleges are backing this idea and president of the Royal College of Physicians, Professor Ian Gilmore said: "Junior doctors are working different shifts and looking after patients they did not admit themselves. Nursing staff have become even more a safeguard of continuity of care on the wards."