Not a normal day for NHS workers

On a normal Wednesday morning Emily Heron would be taking patients’ blood pressure or doing observations. Or if she weren’t on a shift, she would be looking after her terminally ill dad, taking him to dialysis or hospital appointments. But on Wednesday 25 May she did something very different. Everyone knows about the appalling way the junior doctors have been treated by this government, but doctors aren’t the only ones. Emily is a health care assistant, and she’s one of a large group of people who want to become nurses, or are already working in nursing, who have a bone to pick with Jeremy Hunt. They’re angry and worried because the government plans to scrap the NHS bursary in England – health and university education are devolved matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The bursary is a small amount of money for people training to be nurses, midwives, physios or other allied health professionals who require a university degree. It was originally set up as an acknowledgement that they have to work for the NHS for half the time they’re studying. Removing it will mean health workers who graduate in 2020 will be burdened with £51,600 debt. That’s why, on the morning of Wednesday 25 May, NHS staff from across England booked the day off work and travelled to London. Their first stop was Central Hall in Westminster where they gathered to discuss their plans for the day. Most of them were young and nervous, and had not done anything like this before R...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: Article health care healthcare healthcare assistants healthcare student NHS NHS bursary NHS students student nurses Source Type: news