Thrones star Emilia vows to stand up for neglected nurses in blast at NHS cuts
GAME Of Thrones star Emilia Clarke went into battle with a scathing attack on the treatment of NHS nurses, saying they are “overlooked and underpaid”.
The British actress – best known as Daenerys Targaryen in the fantasy TV series – took aim at Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt for making the respected profession a turn-off for millions.
Analysis shows there are at least 40,000 nursing vacancies in the NHS in England alone
Emilia, 31, speaking for the first time in her role as an ambassador for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: “The vast majority of healthcare in our lifetime will come from nurses. Nevertheless, they too often fall victim to outdated ideas that leave fantastic nurses overlooked, underappreciated and underpaid.
“Nurses are beginning to smash the old stereotypes, for the first time performing operations and running doctors’ surgeries. Our NHS, and other health services around the world, simply could not function without them.
“But today’s nurses feel an easy target for cuts, not the priority for investment. Despite working round the clock, too many are forced to seek hardship support.” Emilia’s comments come as NHS figures showed hospitals in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Maidenhead constituency in Berkshire were able to recruit only one nurse for every 400 vacancies. Thames Valley hospitals managed to fill just five of 1,957 vacancies advertised between April and June.
Meanwhile, the number of applications for university nursing courses in England dropped by 5,000 compared with the same point last year.
Student numbers applying to start training in September have fallen by 14 per cent compared with the 2017 cycle and by a third since 2016 – the last year they were supported by a bursary. Funding changes were intended to increase nurse numbers but the RCN says it has had the opposite effect.
Emilia said: “It is sadly little surprise their number is beginning to dwindle. Nurses who have dedicated their working life to mental health, school children or around our local communities are dropping dramatically and their expertise is lost.
“The money the NHS has to keep our nurses trained and at the forefront of healthcare has been cut in half this year in England. And young people who have the drive and commitment are being put off by the new fees they must now pay to train.
“I am fiercely proud of my new role as ambassador and vow to use it to champion nurses and their work. Together, we must attract young people into the profession, support them to innovate and become the powerful nurses of tomorrow.”
RCN chief executive Janet Davies said: “Nurses are increasingly at the cutting edge of healthcare – delivering worldclass care for patients – but need constant support to stay there.”