Hospitals set up food banks and hardship loans for staff

One nursing charity has seen a 140 per cent increase in staff asking for emergency help

- REBECCA THOMAS

Hospitals across the country have set up food banks and are offering emergency "hardship" loans as health leaders warn staff are "struggling to feed their families”.

Six NHS trusts have set up food banks or launched food voucher schemes for workers as part of efforts to help staff cope with the rising cost of living, while others have confirmed they are considering the move. Some hospitals have also begun offering emergency loans to help staff who are under financial pressure, while others have increased the payments made to workers in respect of their travel costs.

The Cavell Nurses' Trust, which supports UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants in financial crisis, told The Independent it had seen a 140 per cent rise in the number of people seeking help in the first four months of 2022 compared with the same period in 2021.

Graham Revie, chair of the Royal College of Nursing's (RCN) Trade Union Committee, said staff were already being left out of pocket by rising fuel prices, adding: “Now we are seeing some struggling to feed their family." Professor Alison Leary, chair of healthcare and workforce modelling at London South Bank University, told The Independent: "I've been approached by several NHS organisations who are very concerned about the impact of the cost of living on their staff. Some are looking at starting food exchanges or food banks, and others are looking at other ways to help, for example with the costs of transport."