Pay up, Javid

WHEN nurses are unable to pay their rent and are turning to foodbanks it is obvious they need a pay rise.

Obvious, that is, to everyone apart from the Government which is poised to offer NHS staff a below-inflation wage increase.

This would be a slap in the face to frontline workers who served throughout the pandemic.

It also fails to recognise that average nurses’ pay is 5% lower in real terms than in 2010.

When there is a shortage of nearly 10,000 doctors and 40,000 nurses, ministers should be doing everything they can to encourage people to stay.

If Sajid Javid values the people who care for us, he would start taking care of them.