Matt Hancock said nurses to get a 'fair reward' post coronavirus crisis
Matt Hancock said nurses to get a ‘fair reward’ post coronavirus crisis

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he will ‘fight to get nurses a fair reward’ for their hard work during the coronavirus crisis.

However, he stopped short of guaranteeing a pay rise when asked about this by a member of the public.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press briefing, he said nursing is  a ‘highly skilled profession and deserves decent pay’ but pointed out that their wages had gone up recently.

He said: ‘We put up nurses’ pay last month, and in fact last year we had the fastest rise, the biggest rise in pay – especially for nurses who are starting their career and the lowest paid nurses, who got a very significant pay rise of over 15%.

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‘So there has been a significant pay rise for nurses. And I think one of the things the crisis has shown is just how much the nation values our staff across the health and care system, including nurses.

‘And when it comes to how we reward people for their efforts in this crisis, what I can tell you is that as the Health Secretary I will be making sure that we fight to have that fair reward.’

This comes after a leaked Treasury report proposed a two-year public sector pay freeze to foot the government’sastronomical coronavirus bill – currently estimated at £337 billion.

 Unions reacted angrily to the news, calling it a ‘a slap in the face’ for nurses and other key workers.

Nurses in England recently received their third and final annual pay rise from the three-year deal agreed in 2018.

RHYL, WALES - MAY 14: A nurse enters the Covid-19 Red Zone at Glan Clwyd Hospital where staff have received funding from local NHS charity Awyr Las (Blue Sky) on May 14, 2020 in Rhyl, Wales. As the National Health Service grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the British public have raised tens of millions of pounds for charities that support NHS institutions and their workers. In Wales, initiatives by the local NHS charity Awyr Las (Blue Sky) show how that fundraising translates to material assistance, going over and above what core NHS funds support. Awyr Las have funded items ranging from appliances and refreshments for staff break rooms to medical equipment like blood pressure monitors and catheterisation models. Awyr Las, one of over 200 NHS charities across the country, is part of NHS Charities Together, the national organisation of charities that was the beneficiary of Captain Tom Moore's historic fundraising campaign. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Matt Hancock said nurses have recently had a pay rise, meaning one post coronavirus is looking unlikely (Picture: Getty)

Responding to the possible pay freeze,general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, Dame Donna Kinnair,said: ‘This proposal is the exact opposite of what’s expected and deserved and, if pursued, will outrage nursing professionals and the public alike.

‘We will make sure no government forgets the professionalism demonstrated by all nursing staff during this pandemic and before it.’

The Treasury declined to comment on the leaked document, first reported on in The Daily Telegraph.

Ministers have also faced calls to guarantee a pay rise for care workers, who earn on average £8.21 an hour.

Last month, a report by the think tank Resolution Foundation  said that about half of frontline care workers, some 1 million people, were paid less than the real living wage of £10.75 an hour in London and £9.30 an hour across the rest of Britain.

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One of the largest charitable providers of care homes, St John Care Trust is calling for the government to fund a new £11.50 hourly minimum wage for frontline workers in social care for the duration of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Scottish government has already announced a 3.3% pay rise for care workers backdated to 1 April in recognition of their role in tackling Covid-19.

Announcing measures to protect care homes today, Mr Hancock said all residents and staff would be tested for coronavirus between now and the end of June.

He said: ‘There will be a named clinical need for every care home in england. These are already connected and will check in regularly to support care home reisdents and give advice. This will be the most intensive support and scrutiny that care homes have ever received.

‘NHS will also support care home in introducing enough technology. We will also be making sure local authorities play their part. There will be daily reviews… which ensure every care home gets the support they need every single day.
Local and national gov can support where necessary, challenge and act where needed.’

However, critics say this is too little to late, with care homes now emerging as the epicentre of coronavirus in the UK.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that just over one in four of all deaths of care home residents in England and Wales between March 2 and May 1 involved Covid-19.

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