Tory MP: Student nurses ‘not deemed to be providing a service’

TruePublica Editor: This government is a constant source of amazement nowadays. They are now being sued by doctors for not providing PPE, families for the deaths of elderly parents, sons and daughters who have seen front line key workers in mortuaries and for handing out multiple £muti-million contracts to dodgy outfits who have failed to deliver. And this is just their handling of the pandemic. There’s so much more corruption and dodgy dealing going on it’s becoming the new norm. Boris Johson’s government is now immersed in a pool of malfeasance, nepotism and the fraud of taxpayers. It is run by technocrats obsessed with data surveillance, focus groups and public relations. One day, unless it’s too late, they might realise that good governance is what they are paid for.

Below is an unedited piece from the Nursing Times, that gives some idea of the alliance between political incapability and blind arrogance – which Helen Whately seems to be an authority of. However, Whately is just one small cog in the machinery of a government filled with sycophants and the self-serving who demonstrate few of the characteristics of leadership such as empathy, honesty, integrity or accountability. Today, it’s all governance by little more than smoke and mirrors.

 

By Sarah Jane – Nursing Times: A Conservative MP has claimed that the government has “no plans” to backdate a new £5,000 grant for student nurses as they “are not deemed to be providing a service”.

Helen Whately, the Conservative MP for Faversham and Care Minister at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) makes the bold claim while responding to a letter from Tom Pursglove MP calling for additional financial support for student nurses.

The government scrapped the NHS Bursary system for student nurses and midwives in 2015 which subsequently led to a significant drop in the number of applicants.

Later this year the government will introduce the NHS Learning Support Fund which will provide non-repayable grants of up to £8,000 per year for both new and current student healthcare professionals.

Those who completed their course between this period feel understandably short-changed by a lack of financial aid – relying solely on student loans.

 

Limited clinical duties.

The letter which has been shared thousands of times across social media was written after student nurse Jess Collins called upon her local MP to help.

Ms Whately writes; “The Government has no plans to introduce a scheme that will backdate the offer for students who completed courses in earlier years.

 

 

 

“Student nurses in training are supernumerary and are not deemed to be providing a service. They are required to undertake 2,300 hours of clinical practice to learn the skills necessary for entry to the workforce.

“Whilst they may be performing limited clinical duties, this is under close supervision and they are not being paid to staff hospitals.”

She does, however, praise NHS staff for “always putting patients first and keeping them safe while providing excellent care”.

 

COVID-19

In April, around 25,000 student nurses and midwives opted in to assist on the NHS front-line during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of unprecedented measures to ensure the health service was not overwhelmed.

Ms Whatley goes on to incorrectly claim that those assisting with the COVID-19 pandemic were required to join an “emergency register” and would be paid a six-month clinical placement.

After just three months, the majority of student nurses were told earlier this week that this six-month placement would be cut short – instead of ending on 31 July.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth has condemned the comments. He said; “What an insult to hard-working student nurses many of whom gave up paid work to be on the frontline answering the call of duty at this time national COVID emergency. We should doing all we to support student nurses. Another reason why the minister should follow Labour’s policy of restating a bursary.”

 

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