More than half of NHS trusts and health boards are either providing or planning food banks for staff, new research suggests, as the cost of living soars.
In a survey that lays bare the catastrophic impact that the rising cost of food, energy and housing is having on health workers, NHS Charities Together and the Observer have found that thousands of NHS staff – including nurses – are already seeking help from food banks, with numbers expected to rise in the coming months.
The news comes amid an ongoing dispute with the government over nurses’ pay, as the Royal College of Nursing prepares to take further strike action on 18 and 19 January after walking out for the first time last month.
More than half of those surveyed also said they were looking at other ways to provide food support for staff in addition to food banks, with initiatives such as voucher programmes, subsidised canteen meals and free breakfasts.
The charity, which supports every trust and health board in the UK, said that for the first time in NHS history its members were having to provide benevolent funds for staff who cannot afford basic living costs. Traditionally, charities fund causes such as staff training and research.
Of the 34 NHS charities which responded to the survey, 21% said they had an active food bank for staff or were implementing one, while 35% said they were looking into it.
Across the six food banks that responded, nearly 5,000 staff are estimated to have used them on a monthly basis, about 550 of whom were nurses. In an indication of how rapidly the cost of living crisis has hit the institutions, three of the food banks were opened in the past three months.
Ellie Orton, the chief executive of NHS Charities Together, called it “a perfect storm”, adding that it was “heartbreaking” that healthcare staff working under such pressures were struggling to eat and having to use food banks.
“It’s really important that, as a country, we continue to support staff, to understand the pressures that they’re under. This is unprecedented” she said.
Staff at St George’s hospital in Tooting, south London, which is understood to be partnering with the nearby Earlsfield food bank to offer help, said that they were struggling with basic living costs – borrowing money from colleagues and cooking for one another.
An administrator at the hospital visited a food bank for only the second time in her life last week – the first time was during the pandemic – because her fridge was empty and she was struggling with debt. “I know a lot of people in the hospital rely on other people. I’ve had other staff members asking me if they can borrow money, and if I can help, I do,” said the woman, who is in her 20s.
A government spokesperson said: “We value the hard work of NHS staff and are doing what we can to support them in these challenging times – including by giving over 1 million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400, as recommended by the independent NHS pay review body, on top of 3% the previous year when pay was frozen in the wider public sector.
“We know it is a difficult time for families across the country. That is why we have acted swiftly to provide support, including the energy price guarantee, which is saving the typical household around £900 this winter, as well as £400 payments towards bills and £1,200 for the most vulnerable households.”
