NURSING and care staff at Basildon & Thurrock Hospital are planning to hold a protest march from the hospital to Basildon town centre where they will hold a rally to highlight their disappointment at not receiving an additional pay increase.

Participants in the march are invited to leave a flower at the hospital in tribute to the 540 health workers who lost their lives during the pandemic.

Everyone is also encouraged to wear a blue ribbon.

Last week the government announced a 2.8 increase in pay for consultants, specialty doctors and associate specialists.

The announcement did not cover nurses and healthcare assistants, who are among more than one million NHS workers covered by a three-year pay deal agreed in 2018.

Health unions and individual members of the nursing and care profession have said they hoped the government would reward them for their efforts during the Codi-19 pandemic by reviewing that pay agreement early.

"We are feeling undervalued, demoralised, overworked and exhausted"

The Institute for Public Policy Research think tank said not including nurses and carers was "unforgivable" and an "unjustifiable snub".

Locally the passion felt by nurisng and care staff was expressed by Stanford-le-Hope 'health heroine' Jullie Dann who spoke up for her fellow workers saying: "We've worked through, risking ourself and our families.

"We've worked when we've wanted to be at home.

"We've worked when we should have been on holiday on a beach somewhere.

"We've worked when our family have needed us, we worked and not seen our children for weeks to keep them safe!

"There's been no furlough in the NHS. There's been no time off in lieu."

Julie plans to be among those taking part in the protest and she and colleagues have called on the general public to show their support too.

One of the organisers of the protest, which will take place on Saturday, 8 March, starting at 11am, is another Stanford-le-Hope NHS worker Leah Sparks.

She says: "We are calling on NHS staff and supporters to mobilise with us on 8 August to send a clear message to the government.

"We do not accept your plans to exclude us from the public sector pay increase, and we will make ourselves heard until you listen.

"We are feeling undervalued, demoralised, overworked and exhausted.

"We have lost 540 of our colleagues to COVID-19 and the fight is not over.

"This event is a peaceful protest against the government's decision to leave NHS staff out of the recent pay increases."

Social distancing and mask/face covering will be mandatory during the protest from the hospital which has previously seen many gatherings in support of the NHS heroes - as highlighted by Thurrock Nub News here..

Other protests are being planned, including one in London tomorrow evening (Wednesday, 29 July) when NHS staff plan to walk from St Thomas's Hospital past the Houses of Parliament to Downing Street.