NHS campaigners have given a festive thank you to health workers across Wearside.
Members of the Keep Our NHS Public (KONP) group were at Sunderland Royal Hospital on Tuesday to show their appreciation following a gruelling year by unveiling signs around the site.
The gesture, which has been repeated at other locations across the North East and the rest of the country, came amid warnings of a rising tide of Covid-19 cases threatening to overwhelm overworked wards.
And it prompted further calls to ensure workers have everything they need to contain the virus and save lives.
Laura Murrell, branch secretary of KONP’s Sunderland branch, said: “The staff are the most valuable resource of the NHS – without them, we can’t do anything.
“We stopped clapping for them, but we shouldn’t forget them.
“This is so people remember how much we owe them.
“I don’t know if things are going to be as bad as the predictions, but either way we’re going to need them.”
