Show of support for NHS staff

[savvypaul]

I've read that there will be a show of support for NHS staff at 8pm, this evening. I will happily give them a round of applause...but I'd rather be giving them the PPE they need to have a half decent chance of survival while they are trying to save the lives of those who have contracted COVID-19.

I'm also trying to remember the nationwide shows of support for NHS workers when their pay was frozen for 3 years and then capped at 1% below inflation for a further 6 years, or when nursing bursaries were withdrawn, resulting in 20,000 fewer nurses in training. Or, how about that thousands of overseas workers have decided they should leave the NHS due to a hostile environment towards immigrants? There are 45,000 full time equivalent nursing vacancies in the UK.

It's genuinely great that people want to show support for NHS workers in these frightening times. What about the rest of the time?

[BillyBones]

I certainly will be showing my support, as I do every day. My daughter works in the Intensive Care Unit of a major hospital in Manchester and I know how hard everyone is working above and beyond the call of duty. Hopefully this will be a watershed and the NHS will finally get the proper investment and support it needs, rather than trying to shrink it even further.

[savvypaul]

Under-investment in the NHS is what the majority has voted for since 2010...

[CN211276]

Prior to retiring I worked in the Health Department of the Welsh Government and had a lot of dealings with the Minister, who is now first Minister. At meetings lack of funding was always the big issue raised with him by external parties. Although health is a devolved function the WG had its hands tied by Westminster who hold the purse strings. To get by funds destined for other areas had to be diverted to health. There was a big emphasis on prevention to ease pressures on the health service. The recently introduced draconian measures have to be seen in this context.

[BillyBones]

Under-investment in the NHS is what the majority has voted for since 2010...

The extra £350M a week will come in handy then.

[Stemcor1990]

We will be supporting tonight but we support much more often. One of the Stemcor siblings is a paediatric nurse. Her car needs 2 new tyres and an mot which she cannot afford (thank you to successive Conservative governments for screwing the NHS).

I don’t agree with Paul’s comment that people voted for under investment in the NHS as a general election is never a single issue vote (even brexit !). However, part of voting Tory is an acceptance of fiscal tightness. I suspect that a lot of people have a mentality of “the NHS is wonderful but I hardly ever use them so it’s not that important”. Until we have a pandemic.....

[savvypaul]

Voting Tory, and then claiming that your priority is to support the NHS, are non compatible, imo.

[savvypaul]

Under-investment in the NHS is what the majority has voted for since 2010...

The extra £350M a week will come in handy then.

Hahaha...

[ArloFlynn]

Sadly...

I find it telling that come times of crises, critical workers ie the ones that keep us alive! tend to be the overworked, underpaid, and undervalued. I’m interested to see how these critical/key workers will be remembered come the annual payrise? However, I am a bit of a cynic.
I imagine the present government are shitting themselves over the future of their tenure. I would be.

[savvypaul]