Nurse who cared for Boris Johnson resigns over ‘lack of respect’ for NHS workers

[Northerner]

A nurse who cared for Boris Johnson when he was gravely ill with Covid-19 says she has handed in her resignation, such is her disillusionment with the “lack of respect” shown by the government for the NHS and healthcare workers.

Jenny McGee, who kept vigil by the prime minister’s bedside for two days when he was in intensive care, also revealed that his staff had later attempted to co-opt her into a “clap for the NHS” photo opportunity with him during what she thought would be a discreet thank you visit to Downing Street.

“We’re not getting the respect and now pay that we deserve. I’m just sick of it. So I’ve handed in my resignation,” said McGee, referring to the government’s proposed 1% pay rise for NHS staff, which unions have described as a “kick in the teeth”.

Nurse who cared for Boris Johnson resigns over ‘lack of respect’ for NHS workers

Jenny McGee, who kept vigil by PM’s bedside when he was sick with Covid, derides government’s handling of pandemic

www.theguardian.com

 

[pm133]

140,000 people have died.
750,000 have already lost their jobs.
Perhaps another million face redundancy.
The economy has been trashed for perhaps decades.
Hundreds of thousands of business owners are now up to their necks in 6 figures of debt trying to stay afloat.
People with a whole host of medical problems such as cancer are struggling to get diagnoses or their treatment continued in all parts of the country.
The pandemic is nowhere near over yet.

Complaining that a 1% pay rise is a "slap in the face" under these conditions is not a good look.

 

[Hardy]

Agency Nursing - That would be her choice. She has a professional qualification which she can choose to use in various settings.
It is not an individual nurse's responsibility to stay in a job in which she is unhappy so "there isn't a nurse short if there is another wave'.

 

[Northerner]

Thereby leaving her colleagues one nurse short should we get another wave.

Sorry to sound cynical but don't be surprised if she pops up as an agency nurse somewhere, otherwise what else is she going to do with all her qualifications?

The article says she's off to the Caribbean on a contract, then back to NZ for a holiday. I don't blame her at all - it's the height of hypocrisy by the government to suggest an effective pay CUT after the year we have had Meanwhile, the PM struggles on his £150k pay and spends billions on a Test and trace system that is not fit for purpose

 

[mikeyB]

Well, she’s quit, but if she takes her skills north of the border she’ll get better paid and working in a better run NHS. And no insulting pay rises. A 1% pay rise is a pay cut living in London. Or anywhere in England.

 

[Ljc]

Tbh I don’t know how the nhs staff coped esp the ones on the front line, caring all those seriously ill people , all those that died , some of those staff would have been looking after their serious ill and dying colleagues.
And it’s not over yet, the hospitals here have a high number of Covid patients still .
I bet a lot are suffering from PTSD now .
A 1 % pay rise , I would have , I would get banned if I said what I would have done with it