Western Daily Press (Saturday)
1% pay rise ‘insult’ to our brave nurses
Health union warns of industrial action over Government ‘hypocrisy’:
AGOVERNMENT recommendation to increase pay for nurses and other healthcare staff by 1% has been branded an “insult” and “hypocrisy in its greatest form” by NHS workers.
The Unite union, which represents tens of thousands of health service staff, has warned of industrial action amid growing anger at the proposals, while the Royal College of Nursing announced it will set up a £35 million industrial action fund in response.
Holly Turner, a nurse from Colchester, told reporters it is “absolutely devastating to see (the Government) place no value in us whatsoever”.
She said: “Strike action would be a complete last resort for us and it would have to be something that could be planned carefully in order to keep our patients safe because, for all NHS staff, patient safety is priority.
“But long term, if we’re going to keep our patients safe, if we need to take industrial action in order to do that, I think we will.” She added: “We are exhausted, we are demoralised, we are fed up – but there is also an increased level of anger.”
Multiple healthcare staff said the proposal would see them take home around £3.50 extra per week.
Ameera Sheikh, an intensive care nurse and Unite union representative, said increasing costs of living had left people struggling on stagnant wages. She said the support the Government had shown earlier in the pandemic now feels “fake”.
“We have treated people from the lowest socio-economic backgrounds to quite literally the leader of the country,” she said.
“We have sacrificed so much since the start of the pandemic, and that includes moving out of our family homes to live close to the hospital and protect our families and live in complete isolation, which is something that I’ve actually had to do.
“We are facing an increasingly dangerous workload in the intensive care unit, and a lot of staff being redeployed to ICU without basic intensive care training. Also, the lack of PPE and having to reuse PPE or wear expired PPE and risking our lives.”
Health minister Nadine Dorries gave a series of media interviews on Friday defending the Government’s position, saying nurses have received a 12% increase in pay over the last three years and the average nurse’s salary is around £34,000.
But frontline workers branded these claims “lies”. Kelly Robbins, a nurse in primary care in Brighton, said: “We listen to them on TV and they are lying, and it’s just painful and really debilitating to hear them say that.”
She added: “We know that there is money there, effectively to do this, and it just does seem like a massive insult.”
Kirsty Brewerton, a clinical sister from Coventry, said the move is an “absolute disgrace”. “How the Government can say there’s no money beggars belief.” Eve, a nurse in central London, told PA she and her colleagues are exhausted and coping with “severe PTSD”.
“A 15% pay rise is all we are asking for, but 1% is all we are worth to this Government.”
THE Duke of Edinburgh has left the NHS hospital where he had heart surgery and been moved back to the private King Edward VII’s Hospital for continuing treatment, Buckingham Palace said.
Prince Philip, 99, underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London on Wednesday.
The Palace said in a statement: “Following the Duke of Edinburgh’s successful procedure at St Bartholomew’s Hospital on Wednesday, His Royal Highness has been transferred to King Edward VII’s Hospital this morning. The Duke is expected to remain in hospital for continuing treatment for a number of days.”
An ambulance, followed by a car carrying the duke’s personal protection officers, was seen leaving St Bartholomew’s.
The duke, the nation’s longestserving consort, has spent 17 nights in hospital – his longest ever stay.
He was initially admitted to King Edward VII’s – the royal family’s favoured hospital – in central London on February 16 after feeling unwell at Windsor Castle, before being moved by ambulance to St Bartholomew’s on Monday.
Concern will be heightened for the duke because of his advanced age, with the Duchess of Cornwall saying this week that Philip was “slightly improving” and adding: “We’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
The news was announced amid growing tensions within the royal family ahead of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controversial televised Oprah interview. In a clip released yesterday, Meghan said it was “liberating” to be able to have the “right and privilege” to be able to “say yes” to an Oprah Winfrey interview.
She said in a previous extract that she could not be expected to stay silent if “The Firm” played a part in “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Harry. The Sussexes have faced calls for the broadcast on Sunday to be postponed out of respect for Philip.
Buckingham Palace meanwhile has begun an investigation into allegations which surfaced in The Times that Meghan drove out two personal assistants and “humiliated” staff, leaving them in tears, which she denies.
Prince Philip has spent most of lockdown at Windsor Castle with the Queen for their safety, alongside a reduced household of staff dubbed HMS Bubble. The couple, who have been married for 73 years, received their first Covid-19 jabs in January.
The Queen, who has been carrying on with her official duties as head of state, is enjoying the company of two new corgi puppies. The dogs, her first corgis since her last one died more than two years ago, were a present during lockdown, The Sun newspaper said.
In a further development yesterday The Mail On Sunday was ordered by the High Court to publish a frontpage statement about the Duchess of Sussex’s victory in her copyright claim against the newspaper over the publication of a “personal and private” letter to her estranged father.
Publisher Associated Newspapers Limited was also ordered to print a notice on page three of the paper stating it “infringed her copyright” by publishing parts of the letter sent to Thomas Markle.