Written by Alex William's for his wife Gabrielle 

Whilst I think my Wife will never not be moved and appreciative of you clapping for her, what our NHS needs is more Staff and a payrise.

My Wife earns £9.91 an hour, or £8.04 after deductions. So what's covered in that figure? Well she goes in to work and works to and past breaking point every single second of her 12 and half hour shift on a Covid Ward, to look after the most vulnerable in our society, she comforts people who are scared, scratch that - petrified that they are going to die. She holds their hand, looks them in the eye (through her visor and other PPE that took months to source) and makes them feel safe. She fills in important paperwork, makes sure people are turned so they don't get other issues to add to their problems, she's shouted at, scratched and bruised by mental health and alcohol dependant patients, she's the main star of a one man show, playing carer, friend, good cop, bad cop, cleaner, cook, receptionist and everything in between.

Our Buffoon Leader's salary was £154,907 to April 2019 (around £79.43 an hour, based on 7.5 hour days over 5 days which I'll use because he certainly wasn't working any extra "To get Brexit done"), £79.43 for what? For failing our NHS, for failing our schools, our Economy, our lives.

The word "heroes" isn't big enough in "Clap for heroes", honestly. Everything my Wife and everyone in healthcare gives and continues to give when they themselves have nothing left is beyond me.

When I tell people that my Wife works on a Covid ward at PCH they say "Is it really as bad as they make out?". It's a question that turns my stomach. Yes, times x100.

Yesterday the UK recorded its highest deaths of Covid since the outbreak, the NHS and staff doesn't need you to clap for them, they need you to follow the rules. And guess what? When my Wife next comes home with her ears bleeding because of the mask or close to tears because she's watched another person die alone and she hears you clapping, she still will be thankful, she'll still cry because although it's not the payrise she must definitely deserves it's recognition that we know how hard she and everyone else works.

Like I said, the word "hero" isn't big enough.