My name is Claire McKenzie, I am a staff nurse working in the NHS, Scotland. I love, love my job! It has taken me a long time to get here.
I have always wanted to be a nurse from a very young age, but I didn’t go into nursing until I retrained in my 30’S. My working career started when I was 16 as an office junior, living and working in Newcastle.
When I was 19 I moved to Scotland to work on a farm as Farm Secretary after attending agricultural collage. I have worked in various types of administrative roles, working up the ladder and my salary increased accordingly.
When I had my first child, I decided to retrain as a nurse, because I didn’t want to spend the next 40 years working in an office, regretting not fulfilling my dream of becoming a nurse. I spent the next 4 years in higher education to gain my degree in Nursing. I have worked up the banding levels and I am now at the top of my level, as are 47% of the nursing work force.
Working as a nurse is rewarding, but it can be punishing, both physically and mentally – I hear people comment: “you chose to become a nurse, why are you complaining?” I did choose this, but want to highlight that, in order to do my job, I need the support from other staff.
But these staff are non-existent as posts have not been filled – in Scotland, 5.6% of nursing and midwifery posts (3,607) remain vacant as per the figures provided in December 2019.
Wards cannot afford to pay for agency staff (I would like to say at this point agency staff should not be demonised! They have their heads screwed on, knowing their worth and getting paid for it!) unless the ward is running dangerously low on nurses and clinical support staff.
The Scottish Government’s Health and Care (Staffing) (Scotland) Act, scheduled to come into force towards the end of 2020, will place a duty on NHS and social care providers to make sure that, at all times, there are suitably qualified and competent staff working in the right numbers looking after the most vulnerable groups in our society. My question is, how?
As a work force, we are running at full throttle, doing a job of two being paid at 2010 rates but living in a world of 2020 expense. As a work force, people are having to pick up extra hours, if you work on the bank you are taxed more because this is classed as luxury earnings – this extra money is not for luxury but for necessity! Where is the work life balance?
When the government announced a pay rise for public sector works, I thought “Yay” recognition at last, only to be very disappointed. Personally, I do not begrudge the pay rise announcement for others; they are entitled to it, I am however very embittered tha,t as a whole workforce, our efforts have been belittled – not by the public, as 77% support the NHS workers to get a pay rise.
As stated, we as a workforce are being paid at 2010 rates, living in 2020 being expected to be able to survive paying for the basics. That’s why as a workforce we are DEMANDING a pay rise, why would anybody take on further work but get paid for less? That’s right, we are the NHS! Enough is enough.
#NHSworkersayno #NHSpay15
To highlight the disappointment, Nurses have rallied together, creating a Facebook group attracting over 70,000 members from all sectors of the NHS (without official support from the unions) and have organised demonstrations across the UK.
So far approximately 33 have been organised to coincide at 11am this Saturday (8 August 2020).
The Edinburgh demonstration will take place outside the Scottish Parliament building in Holyrood.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/314519933024565?view=permalink&id=318609522615606
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