Our seething nurses deserve so much more than their 5% pay award'

13 January 2024 , 21:03

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Our seething nurses deserve so much more than their 5% pay award'

When it comes to the NHS, the Prime Minister’s tin ear is only matched by his forked tongue.

Rishi Sunak claims to have resolved pay disputes in every part of the health service, except junior doctors. That enraged 500,000 nurses who are still seething about their 5% pay award – the lowest in the public sector. Prison and police officers got 7%. The police can’t strike. But nurses can, and union boss Pat Cullen warns today that they might, without an improved offer this year.

They did so in December 2022, so the determination to fight for proper pay and conditions is there. And that is not just in the interest of nurses but of patients too, now that one in 10 people are languishing on NHS waiting lists.

The 40,000 unfilled nursing posts mean there are staff shortages on almost every shift and patients being treated in hospital corridors or left in ambulances. Nurses should each look after six patients or fewer but with the NHS at breaking point, they routinely care for up to 15 which is unsafe.

For Mr Sunak to say everything is hunky-dory shows how little he understands about nursing – or values our nursing staff. He should check other developed nations, where full-time hospital nurses earn 20% over the average national wage. Ours get 10% less.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

If the PM needs any more convincing in an election year that nurses deserve better, he should look at a recent YouGov poll. That showed two-thirds of voters support strike action if nurses don’t get a fairer deal.

Stop the rot

The death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from exposure to mould touched the nation – and shocked ministers into devising a new law forcing property owners to fix damp quickly.

Yet it should not take legal enforcement for local authorities and private landlords to provide decent accommodation.

Now tenants of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, which provided Awaab’s disgraceful home, say mould is still not being dealt with despite persistent complaints.

That is not good enough. Awaab’s dad complained three years before his son died in December 2020, and nothing changed.

Three years after the tragedy, the law giving landlords seven days to make repairs has yet to reach the statute book. Unacceptable delays when children’s lives are at stake.

C’est what?

A ChatGPT-style bot to answer public enquiries has been axed by the Government as it did “strange things” like speak French.

But it’s not that unusual, given the shower running this country. The Tories have spent 14 years talking double-Dutch.

Voice of the Mirror