A nursing charity has created a new fund for staff facing financial hardship due to the coronavirus crisis following a spike in calls for help.
The Cavell Nurses’ Trust has set aside additional funding for grants designed to help nursing and midwifery professionals who are struggling for money as a result of the epidemic.
For example, nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants may fall into financial difficulty if they cannot work because they have to self-isolate.
While most staff will get sick pay, agency workers may not have access to the same benefits.
In addition, self-isolation could mean that staff are unable to top up their wages like they usually would through overtime or bank work.
At the same time, a nursing or midwifery professional could find themselves struggling if their partner’s income suffers due to the coronavirus.
John Orchard, chief executive at Cavell Nurses’ Trust, said the charity had seen an influx in requests for help since the Covid-19 outbreak began to escalate in the UK.
He said: “In the last week or so we’ve been contacted by multiple nursing and midwifery professionals who have been affected and we expect more. We desperately want to help as much as our funding will allow."
“As a society we rely on nurses, midwives and HCAs to be there for us and we should support them in return, especially in this the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.
“More than three quarters of the nurses we support tell us we helped them get back to or stay in work.”
Members of the public can also support the Cavell Nurses' Trust by donating here.
by Gemma Mitchell
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