'Unbelievable' nurses are relying on food banks, says Gordon Brown

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has demanded an end to ‘food bank Britain’ and said nurses should not be relying on the handouts.

He said: “Thousands of nurses report that, because of the cost of living crisis, they are skipping meals so they can feed their children.

“I want an end to food bank Britain by putting an end to poverty and low-pay Britain.

“This is not a party political issue but a humanitarian issue. A matter of common decency.

“The best way we can reward the nurses of Britain for what they did for us during the pandemic is ensuring decent wages and working conditions. Our nurses cared for us – it’s time for us to care for them.”

According to NursingNotes, six NHS trusts have set up food banks or developed food voucher schemes to help their staff cope with the cost of living.

Mr Brown called for investment to tackle the shortage of nursing staff across the UK.

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He said: “Two years ago the NHS was deservedly awarded the George Cross for its work during the pandemic, but the reward for individual nurses has been pay settlements well below inflation, leaving nurses much worse off.

“Now, as part of the Platinum Jubilee, members of the armed forces and emergency services are rightly receiving Jubilee medals.

“I say all nurses too should be lining up to receive Jubilee medals, but instead – and it’s almost unbelievable that this is the case in the fifth richest country in the world – today, too many nurses are lining up at food banks.

“I hate the idea of nurses doing long shifts and then having to leave the beds of their patients to queue up for food parcels.

“Surely, as a country, we didn’t come all this way to end up in the year 2022 with food banks, bedding banks, baby banks, and clothes banks replacing the welfare state as our last line of defence against poverty and low pay?”

Last month the Royal College of Nursing president told MPs the nursing sector had a critical issue with retention.

Dr Denise Chaffer said: “We can’t get away from the fact of the pay issue – we have nurses that are unable to pay their rent, afford their petrol to get to work and they’re unable to get a mortgage.

“We’ve spoken to a number of members that just cannot get a mortgage, that are relying on food banks.

“Clearly pay is obviously critical and we can’t move away from that.”

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