Give us a bank holiday for the NHS! Two thirds of Britons polled back day off to celebrate medics and care staff who battled coronavirus for Britain
- Report urges the government to give NHS and care workers further recognition
- A five point guarantee package is proposed for health workers to prevent strain
- Two thirds of people polled supported a back holiday and a quarter opposed
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Two thirds of Britons have said the UK should be given an extra bank holiday to celebrate medics and care staff who battle the coronavirus pandemic.
As campaigns such as Clap for Carers, Captain Tom Moore’s walking challenge and other fund raising appeals shine a light on how much the UK loves the NHS, many think health care workers deserve further recognition.
So far in the UK it has been reported that over 100 NHS and care workers have died from the coronavirus, and the report suggests the public want more to be done to ensure the safety of key workers.
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank revealed that Britons want a new bank holiday – to celebrate both health and care workers.
A YouGov poll found that almost two thirds of the population supported this proposal, compared to a quarter who opposed.
A London Ambulance worker takes a patient with an unknown condition from an ambulance outside of the Royal London Hospital on April 20
The report also found that the UK supports more intervention from the UK government.
The public wants more substantial support for workers putting their lives on the line to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
96 per cent of people polled agreed the government should introduce more support for healthcare workers’ physical health.
This is while 95 per cent of people supported more support for their mental health needs.
Campaigns such as Clap for Carers has highlighted how much the UK values the NHS and care workers
88 per cent were in favour of more generous pay and leave entitlements for them.
The report also proposes a five point plan for a ‘Care Fit for Carers’. The guarantees echo that made in the First World War.
During that time there was a ‘homes fit for heroes’, the new report demands that the government must deliver such a package for NHS and care workers.
The five guarantees would be: safety, accommodation, mental health, pay and care.
It warns that if action is not take, there will be a serious strain on key workers.
Two NHS workers are seen outside Queens Hospital this week wheeling in a patient on a stretcher
Laboratory technicians in Glasgow wearing full PPE conduct a “sample transfer” of live samples taken from people tested for the novel coronavirus
Chris Thomas, IPPR Health Research Fellow and lead author of the report, said:
‘Our care heroes are making significant sacrifices to pull our country through this crisis. But government must ensure people’s lives, livelihoods and security are not lost unnecessarily. That means taking urgent action’
‘Care Fit for Carers is about giving the heroes of the coronavirus pandemic the protection, support and security they need. No one should have to put their health at risk because PPE is lacking. No one should face a mental health crisis because no support was there. And no one should face financial destitution while delivering our crisis response.’