Commenting on the Autumn Budget announcement, Dr Jeeves Wijesuriya, spokesperson for Healthcare Workers’ Foundation said: “Today’s budget announcement represents a clear misunderstanding from the UK Government of what is actually needed on the ground. What is truly required from the government is an immediate, sustained investment into the people – the healthcare workers; porters, nurses and doctors who protected the public from the pandemic – not just the infrastructure. Clearing the backlog and supporting the nation is critical, but without healthy, happy and engaged employees to work through this backlog and plan recruitment to meet ever increasing demand, the investment will be totally redundant.
“Our research with healthcare workers across the country uncovered that a shocking 70% of NHS healthcare workers couldn’t afford their monthly childcare bills. Another third of respondents can’t afford their food bills each month while 30% claimed they are likely to leave the profession within the next 12 months. Their welfare and wellbeing should be at the top of the agenda to ensure they can continue changing lives. We at the Healthcare Workers’ Foundation will continue to do whatever we can to support healthcare workers, but we really need the government to step in urgently and coherently ”