Last Updated on October 7, 2022
Two-thirds (63%) of nurses and healthcare workers say they are having to choose between food and fuel to combat rising energy bills, according to a new study.
A study of over 1,000 nurses and health and social care workers, conducted by Florence, the healthcare platform using technology to help tackle the shortage of healthcare staff globally, found that nearly one in five (14%) nurses have started using food banks since the cost-of-living crisis started. A further third (30%) also know colleagues who have.
It comes as meteoric rises in energy bills and inflation are having a widespread impact on nurses and carers, often on a low income. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is balloting hundreds of thousands of its members this week (starting from 6th October) on whether they will support strike action over a 5% pay offer from the Government.
A staggering 94% of nurses and healthcare staff are calling for the Government to match pay in line with inflation, currently increasing at nearly its fastest rate in 40 years, driven largely by the rising cost of food and fossil fuels. But a 5% pay rise might be too little too late, as over a quarter (28%) of nurses and healthcare staff are already planning to leave the profession in search of better pay, further adding to the chronic staffing crisis the NHS is experiencing.
Inflation-matched pay is not the only solution frontline nurses and healthcare staff are calling for. Seven in 10 (69%) state the NHS needs increased funding for critical services to ensure the quality of care is not compromised, and over half (53%) agree the Government needs to produce long-term, and coherent plans, to safeguard the future of the NHS. Furthermore, over two in five (46%) want to see an increase in training grants to support more people in the industry overall, helping to close the gap between staffing levels and vacancy rates.
The study found that four in five (79%) nurses and healthcare staff state the rising cost of living will see the NHS face ‘intolerable pressure’. Two-thirds (60%) state patients will miss appointments because of the cost of transport and over half (57%) predict wait times to increase. Within this, well over two-fifths (45%) predict wait times to at least double, as a direct result of the rising cost of living.
Fiona Millington, Chief Nurse at Florence, said, ‘Nurses and carers are making genuine decisions, ‘Do I have something to eat that's hot? Do I risk having to use gas to heat this up?’. The cost of living has risen at an alarming rate, but salaries are not increasing to match that cost of living. Nurses and carers, like every other profession, are finding themselves in a situation where it's more difficult to make ends meet. It’s a really difficult situation but sadly it’s the reality we’re facing. A Government implemented pay rise cannot come quickly enough.’
Note: CMM has approached Florence for the original source of this research.
In other news, a coalition of organisations has written to local health and care leaders for a second time, calling on them to end 'harmful isolation practices' and to 'help promote the rights of people in care'.