Half of NHS trusts provide/plan staff foodbanks

More than half of NHS trusts and health boards are either providing or planning food banks for staff amid soaring costs, according to new research.

A survey by NHS Charities Together and the Observer found that thousands of NHS staff, including nurses, are already seeking help from foodbanks, with numbers expected to rise in the coming months.

The survey results lay bare the catastrophic impact of the rising cost of food, energy and housing on health workers and comes as the Royal College of Nursing plans to take further strike action on 18 and 19 January in an ongoing dispute with the government over nurses’ pay.

 This situation cannot be allowed to continue. The Government needs to pay our health workers what they are worth and ensure they can afford to live.