Our NHS in the Limelight

In this article, Victoria Rose explores the overwhelming sense of pride the UK has for its health service, but ponders how the its lifesavers will be rewarded. There are far fewer frontline staff than required; hospitals are underfunded and understaffed, while individual medics are massively underpaid.

At 8pm last Thursday, amidst the coronavirus pandemic, we saw individuals, communities, and the entire nation come together to honour the sheer dedication, hard work, and perseverance of all of our NHS workers.  Naturally, this all took place from the comfort of our own homes, as applause rang out through the streets. Supporters from London to Glasgow, and from Bournemouth to Blackpool, gathered from behind their windows, outside their front doors, and on their balconies to clap, cheer, or even drum, in an act of appreciation for all our wonderful NHS workers.

On that same evening, Boris Johnson and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, stood applauding outside of Downing street, but, of course, they were a good two metres apart. However, it was not just people who showed their support.  Blue lights shone upon key monuments across the country, including Wembley Stadium, Belfast's City hall and even the Kelpies: two metal horses in Falkirk. 

Image credit: Granpic via Flickr

But, where did such an idea originate?

The notion began as the "#lightitblue" campaign, which was created to pay tribute to NHS staff, by doing exactly what it says on the tin: lighting key landmarks blue. The movement was planned by professionals in the lighting and entertainment industry, as they hoped to create a simultaneous display of gratitude throughout the UK. However, the campaign spread quickly across the country, as the organisers used social media as a platform to promote their cause, provoking many people at home to share, and spread, their message. It was a message of thanks, of hope, and unity.

Even the Royal Family tweeted their support for the campaign, now known as #clapforcarers, saying that they were "enormously thankful" for the NHS workers.  Prior to this, we had also seen other locked down countries, including Spain and Italy, paying similar tributes to their own healthcare staff.  We may not be the first to adopt this strategy; nevertheless, the huge success of this campaign shows the extent of the nation's support for critical workers. This is especially vital during such this time of crisis, where we face no choice, but to spend our time at home.

Before the virus emerged, while we were engrossed in the chaos of our busy day-to-day lives, it was easy to forget just how valuable certain workers really are. The average salary of a UK nurse is £24,816, which is less than the UK average for full-time workers. Yet, during a time like this, it is these low-paid members of staff who we rely upon to save lives. It's taken us being trapped in our homes for us to accept how critical these workers are.

Consultant Dr Amged El-Hawrani was the first frontline UK doctor to die of COVID-19; he worked as an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Queen's Hospital Burton. Many medics have expressed concerns over a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), as GPs across the country are having to buy their own resources; in some cases, schools are being asked to print respirators with their 3D printers. The strain that our health service is under is incomprehensible to most of us; it's easy to acknowledge the statistics we see in the news, but it remains impossible to understand how harrowing life must be for those who wake up to this daily.

The question of whether we will recognise their just deserts remains: will the government reward them accordingly?

Once we resume our "normal" routine, we will most likely forget about the commendable efforts of our true key staff: a group that consists of the same "low-skilled workers" Priti Patel was so scathing about in recent weeks. We have seen the willingness of NHS staff to work long hours, on low wages, while over half a million "normal" UK citizens have signed up to be volunteers, in an attempt to reduce the impact of staffing shortages.

However, as both student and retired doctors are willing to work regardless of pay, there is less presure on the government to increase their wages. Many argue that, in order to attract more students to pursue a career in medicine, and, thus resolve the staffing shortage, salaries must be raised. Though, as desirable as a pay rise would be, no amount of money can truly repay such valuable members of society. Regardless of your views on how large of a pay rise NHS staff should receive, this pandemic has served as a wakeup call to all of us, as we have begun to realise it is not CEOs who are saving the world, but rather underpaid, yet essential, workers.

The potential of the virus has been highlighted in recent days, as, on Friday, merely 24 hours after the national round of applause, the prime minister tested positive for COVID-19, reporting that he was self isolating. Almost immediately, it became clear that Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Chris Witty, Chief Medical Adviser, were both in the same situation. Since then, Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson, Dominic Cummings, has been forced to self-isolate, after displaying symptoms of the virus. As the pandemic has spread so rapidly throughout the British government, this must serve as a cruel reminder as to how contagious the coronavirus really is.

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