For many years the NHS has relied on thousands of staff who are EU and other nationals to support our wonderful but ailing healthcare system. It can be a tough place to work at the best of times and, unfortunately, Brexit made many of them feel unwelcome and unappreciated.
The situation has now drastically changed. NHS workers are being asked to risk their lives to care for the British people during the Covid-19 outbreak. We have already lost colleagues and we will lose more.
For many of us, we are being asked to take care of our own people, the British people. However, for our colleagues who come from other countries, we are asking them to risk their lives to look after citizens of a country that has not been welcoming in recent times. Their families are far away, and many are also at risk or sick, yet they stay to help us.
The government suggests that it will give leave to remain for one year to foreign nationals working in our healthcare system. This is insulting; it suggests that they will work through Covid-19 and may not be welcome afterwards. It is time for the government and the British people to recognise the risks and the (literally) lifesaving contribution NHS staff from other countries are making. We must go much further than leave to remain. It is time for all of them to be given automatic UK citizenship in recognition of their sacrifice.
It is time for us to make them the British people too. Please sign my petition at tinyurl.com/NHScitizens
Dr Gill Sare
Nottingham
• It is distressing to read of complaints by NHS and social care staff about the lack of personal protective equipment. We have seven members of our extended family working in various NHS roles. One of them, a nurse, has been moved from eye surgery to intensive care.
The 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act requires all employers to provide such equipment, and more generally ensure the welfare of their staff. These obligations are clearly set out on the HSE web pages section on “employer’s responsibility”.
If employers are found to be in breach of the act, will their employees be able to seek redress through the courts? Will the families of the deceased be entitled to compensation?
David Jones
Hayfield, High Peak, Derbyshire
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