Without the NHS and Social Care Workers the UK would have been an episode of the TV series,The Walking Dead. It’s time we get the government to pay the workforce what they deserve and stop the patronising meaningless gestures and words senior ministers utter such as “thanks for their heroic work” or the 8pm claps, which does nothing for the risks they take and the sacrifices they make 24/7 all year round.

Over the last few decades healthcare and social care workers have been taken for granted by successive governments. The respect they deserve has been systematically eroded by health secretaries forcing on the services overzealous and incompetent middle managers. Successive Health secretaries have pummelled them and repeatedly stripped them of their dignity by bringing in these managers who often have no experience, no healthcare industry knowledge or indeed capable of empathy for the staff and patients. If the health system is to reclaim its glory as the best in the world, and drive the NHS and Social Care system in the 21st century It is time they are paid what they deserve. The reality is the workforce earn so little for the work they do compared to their contemporaries in other developed countries. We need to put the maximum pressure on the government to recognise their input by paying them what they deserve. Next fight will be making sure that they start to earn the respect they deserve. It is disgraceful that a lot of the staff have decided to walk away over the years to do other things or move to other countries where they are treated better