Offer is an insult say unions. Rosa Prince, Mirror.co.uk, October 21, 2006 Nurses reacted with fury yesterday as it was revealed they may get a pay rise of only 2p an hour. The Government wants to give NHS medical staff a 1.5 per cent basic increase - less than half the inflation rate of 3.6 per cent. Karen Jennings of Unison said: "A 1.5 per cent increase works out at less than 2p an hour for newly-qualified nurses and paramedics." Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt insists rises must be low to get the NHS through its current cash crisis. ... Nurses