Health unions last night accused ministers of kicking a pay rise for NHS heroes into the long grass.
Workers’ leaders representing 1.3 million staff warned they were being “fobbed off” by the Treasury, which left many health service employees out of a recent wage-hike announcement.
Unison said that nearly a month after asking for more information about how the pay process will work, it was yet to get a response.
Unison's head of health Sara Gorton, who chairs the NHS staff trade unions, said: “NHS staff have done everything to keep us safe.
“It’s time the Government showed its appreciation by giving all NHS workers a decent pay rise and proved they were serious about valuing the health service.
“Many committed health service workers are already feeling burnt out by the pressures of dealing with the pandemic, putting further pressure on a heavily understaffed service.
“A significant pay rise will do wonders for morale, improve recruitment and may stop people leaving the jobs they love because they don’t feel valued.
“It’s not enough to sort this out at some point in the future – staff need certainty now.
“As the next parliamentary term begins, the Prime Minister must put NHS pay at the top of his to-do list.”
Health workers are currently in the final year of a three-year deal.
They are due a pay rise next April but unions want the Government to bring it forward to this year.
Ministers failed to commit to an early wage hike when increases for 900,000 workers elsewhere in the public sector were announced last month.
Unison pointed to the “huge array of jobs” carried out by NHS staff beyond frontline care provided by doctors and nurses.
It highlighted the vital roles of paramedics, healthcare assistants, porters, cleaners, kitchen staff, radiographers and operating department practitioners.
Some 69% of people quizzed for a Unison/Savanta ComRes poll last month said all NHS staff should get an early pay rise before the end of this year.
More than 300 NHS workers have died in England alone after contracting coronavirus.
Mr Johnson, who was struck down by coronavirus in April, is among those whose lives were saved by devoted workers.
Ms Gorton added: “As the Prime Minister will know, thousands of people who owe their lives to NHS staff who helped them through serious illness as a result of Covid-19.
“Health workers around the UK put their lives on hold for months.
“The Government made a big deal of pay rises for many public sector jobs, selling it as payback for their efforts in keeping the country running during the pandemic.
“But it’s failed to confirm health workers can expect an early and significant wage rise.
“Noises from the Chancellor about pay restraint have also caused alarm bells to ring.
“It looks likely a lengthy ‘pay review body’ process will start, taking months.
“Instead the Government could easily make an immediate promise that the contribution of health staff will be recognised in their pay.
“Confirming an early pay rise would help give the NHS the morale boost it needs to get through the tough winter ahead.”
Daniella Pritchard, 43, a day surgery sister in Harlow, Essex, was preparing to move from her regular role to care for Covid-19 patients in a high dependency unit when the pandemic struck.
However, she contracted the virus and was ill for five weeks.
Although Daniella avoided being admitted to hospital, she still bears the physical and mental scars of the disease.
Despite suffering pain and breathlessness, she has returned to work.
But the virus has left her too vulnerable to go back to her frontline role and she now helps staff who had been shielding to return to work.
She said: “Nurses don’t do the job because of the money, we do it because we’re passionate about looking after patients.
“But many struggle on the pay.
“If there’s a chance to get a rise, people deserve it — not just because of the pandemic, because of the hard work all year round.”
Keelie Barret, 44, a maternity support worker in Yorkshire and Humberside, juggled a full-time job, being a single mother and caring for shielding relatives during the pandemic.
She said: “I’ve always loved working for the NHS and being a maternity support worker has always been challenging but rewarding.
“Working during the pandemic was even more challenging – the pressure was immense.
“I worried about contracting coronavirus and bringing it home to my child.”
Keelie has seen the sacrifices staff made to keep services running during the crisis – and believes they have more than earned a pay rise.
She added: “All NHS staff need an early and substantial wage rise.
“I’ve seen my pay and that of my colleagues drop in real terms.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We will continue to ensure all staff are rewarded fairly.
“NHS doctors and dentists recently received a 2.8% pay rise and Agenda for Change staff the final year of a deal which has delivered year-on-year pay increases including increasing the starting salary for a newly qualified nurse by over 12%.
“We are committed to supporting our NHS and everyone working in it, and the recently published NHS People Plan sets out how the NHS will improve physical and mental support for all staff.”
