Charity reports more than 500 nurses using food banks
Nurses make up more than 10% of the staff currently using food banks provided by NHS charities to cope with economic hardship, according to a survey.
The survey found that at six NHS trusts and health boards alone, nearly 5,000 NHS staff, of whom 550 were nurses, were making monthly use of the food banks run by charities that support NHS trusts and health boards.
This adds to the evidence that many nurses across the UK are living in poverty, as new Royal College of Nursing president Sheila Sobrany told the Nursing Times last month, when she said nurses were “really struggling” right now, both financially due to the cost-of-living crisis and pay levels, and emotionally due to the pressures in the system and short staffing.
A previous survey carried out by charity Cavell Nurses’ Trust in January 2022 found that 30% of nurses had difficulty paying for food, and that 14% were relying on food banks.
The latest figures come from NHS Charities Together, a national charity which represents 234 local NHS charities that collectively support NHS trusts and health boards across the UK. It ran a 24-hour online survey from 4-5 January asking those charities about the food support that they are providing to NHS staff.
Of the 34 charities that responded to the survey, seven reported that they currently have a food bank in their trust or health board for NHS staff or are implementing one. Three of these foodbanks were established between October and December 2022. Another 12 charities reported that they were exploring the possibility of setting up a food bank.
“It’s heart-breaking that some are having to resort to using food banks to get by”
Ellie Orton
In addition, more than half of the NHS charities surveyed said they were looking at providing other food support for staff, including voucher programmes, free breakfasts and subsidised canteen meals that would also be made available to their families.
Chief executive of NHS Charities Together, Ellie Orton, said: “As the cost of living escalates, like many employers, NHS trusts and the charities who support them are looking at ways to help staff through the crisis.
“But with pressures facing NHS workers already so extreme, it’s heart-breaking that some are having to resort to using food banks to get by.”
She said charities were “proud” help staff and patients in the NHS, adding that “sadly today that support is more important than ever”.
