Fact check: Public sector pay and Gaza image claims

This roundup of claims has been compiled by Full Fact, the UK’s largest fact checking charity working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information.

Misleading figures on public sector pay

After seeing a widely shared claim online making misleading comparisons between the starting salary of an NHS England nurse and the pay of an NHS equality, diversity and inclusion officer, Full Fact took a look at how much both groups could expect to earn.

Social media posts claimed that a nurse’s starting salary was around £28,400 while maintaining that a diversity officer could expect £96,000. In reality the starting salaries for each profession in the NHS are much more similar.

A newly qualified nurse can expect to earn £28,407. After that pay can vary depending on experience, qualifications and years of service. The most senior nurses can earn between £99,891 and £114,949.

In March 2024 the average basic pay for a nurse or health visitor working in the NHS in England was estimated to be the equivalent of £38,713 for a full-time role.

While there isn’t such a clear starting point for diversity officer salaries, job listings we saw indicate that it can be around £25,147 while others might be higher and can vary from region to region.

Just as with nurses, a more senior diversity officer could expect to be paid much more than this with some senior roles, such as a head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, being paid between £70,417 and £81,138.

Graphic image does not show child shot in Gaza

A number of posts sharing a graphic image of a child who had been shot in the head have been circulating on social media. The posts imply the child was shot as part of the conflict between Israel and Gaza.

While it is the case that many children have been tragically killed in Gaza as a result of Israeli military action since the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel, the child in the image is not one of them.

The image dates back to 2020 and was taken in Yemen. Reports from the time feature the image and report that a little girl was shot by a Houthi sniper in the city of Taiz.

This roundup of claims has been compiled by Full Fact, the UK’s largest fact checking charity working to find, expose and counter the harms of bad information.