It is time to start caring for them

WHAT does it feel like to be a nurse living and working in Tory Britain?

The results of the Royal College of Nursing’s latest annual employment survey are glaring: 59 per cent of nurses attend work even when they’re ill.

Just under a third have struggled to pay basic bills, and 14 per cent have missed meals because of financial difficulties. Most worrying of all for the future of our NHS, less than half would recommend nursing as a career.

These are extremely serious findings, coming in the week the Mirror revealed the scandal of nurses forced to run from patients’ bedsides to top up car park tickets after hospital bosses took their parking permits away. In 21st century Britain, our nurses deserve better. When I became Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary in October, I told Jeremy Corbyn I would be a champion for our nurses.

So Labour would scrap the unfair pay cap this heartless Prime Minister has imposed on them and we’ll bring back the nurses’ training bursary.

It’s not just a fair deal for our nurses, it’s much better for patients too.

The simple truth is tired, overworked staff cannot be expected to provide the high quality of care we want our loved ones to receive. Theresa May’s hopeless approach to the NHS – imposing the biggest funding squeeze in its history and turning her back on hardworking NHS staff – has prompted nurses to consider industrial action. I know no nurse will take any decision lightly.

The last thing we need from ministers is the same disgraceful smears, misinformation and bully-boy tactics we saw over the junior doctors dispute.

Every one of us has encountered inspirational nurses and midwives working on the NHS frontline. Their caring touch deserves our utmost respect, but the truth is under this Tory government they’re really struggling.

It’s about championing our nurses and midwifes, and as Health Secretary that’s exactly what I’ll do.