Nurses deserve our support in pay fight

PUBLIC appreciation for nurses and other healthcare professionals has arguably never been higher.

Across the UK, we have seen frontline NHS staff risking their lives to treat patients with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 in our hospitals.

Wearing full PPE, which is at best uncomfortable and at worst completely debilitating, these clinicians have carried out lengthy shifts in very difficult environments without reprieve.

At the start of the pandemic, many of them were having to deal with an ever-changing situation as hospitals expanded bed capacity in areas like A&E and intensive care.

Nurses who were typically used to community or ward roles were thrust into emergency care as part of their redeployment, dealing with gravely-ill patients who were suffering in isolation without their families for comfort. In many cases, nurses were tasked with being the reassuring presence in hospitals during the outbreak, despite being utterly terrified themselves.

This was severely hampered by them not being able to hold a patient’s hand due to strict infection control measures, or displaying a smile because their masks and visors were in the way.

Thousands made significant personal sacrifices too, including living away from their families for months on end – and even missing their children’s birthdays – to prevent the further spread of infection.

And we all know that as many as 500 NHS and social care staff made the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives to this devastating illness.

Nevertheless, their huge responsibilities during this crisis have not gone unnoticed. Millions of people showed their appreciation by clapping for them each week on their doorsteps, and donations flooded in from members of the public and businesses alike.

But for years, even before the pandemic struck, government recognition for these workers has not been reflected in their pay.

Over the past decade NHS staff have seen their pay cut by 20% in real terms. No amount of Thursday evening clapping and warm ministerial words can compensate for this dramatic loss in income.

As a result, there have been countless accounts of nurses having to take on second jobs or even use food banks to make ends meet. This is a national disgrace.

So we should wholeheartedly support nurses and other allied healthcare professionals in their fight for better salaries. It’s what they deserve.