Tribute to all those working in the nhs

WE wish to pay tribute to the thousands of staff working in all parts of our NHS and social care system and especially those currently working in care homes or domiciliary settings where there have been outbreaks and in the hospitals where we know hundreds of patients with Covid-19 are currently being cared for.

We are aware that NHS staff have said they do not wish to be thought of as heroes.

Nonetheless, we are full of admiration for the long hours they work and the study time or annual leave they have sacrificed or postponed to put patients first.

The toll on mental and physical health is high, particularly when we think that frontline staff have been caring for dying patients, giving more of themselves in the unnatural circumstance of family separation.

As the third wave has reached its peak, some other care has unavoidably been put on hold.

There will be pressure to give patients who are waiting for non Covid-19 treatment the care they need but we hope space can be created to allow staff to recover from physical exhaustion and emotional distress and that psychological support is available to them.

We hope, too, that the government will give due regard to the pay freezes or relatively low pay rises which have marked the past decade for staff in health and social care and will see fit to show its gratitude for their enormous contribution in the pandemic crisis through generous pay awards and additional funding for these sectors.

We are acutely aware that we as members of the public must continue to observe the restrictions that have been placed on us in the interests of public health and that, at the moment, the best way we can show respect for these workers is by staying at home as much as possible and avoiding opportunities for transmission of the virus wherever we can.