MEMBERS of Nurses United are set to protest outside Sajid Javid’s office in Bromsgrove to demand he speaks to frontline healthcare workers about the three per cent NHS pay rise.

The event will take place at 3:00pm on Saturday, September 11 prior to closure of the consultative trade union ballots in England which could see nurses taking industrial action for the first time in a generation.

Anthony Johnson, nurse and Nurses United lead organiser said: “We don’t think it is too much for the Health Secretary to agree to meet the nurses he’s supposed to represent.

“Some of the nurses who will be attending are his constituents, when did it become acceptable for our representatives to represent their donors instead of the British public?

“This Saturday we’ll make sure that Mr Javid’s constituents know what he stands for and how he behaves when he is asked for a meeting with nurses who have worked their socks off to keep us all safe.”

Leah Sparks, heart failure nurse and Nurses United member said:“3% does nothing to protect the safety and the welfare of my patients.

“Our pay is directly linked to the recruitment crisis we are facing within our NHS. Experienced, skilled workers are leaving for better paid work or just retiring.

“We cannot recruit staff into the vacant positions because our salary does not match the cost of inflation and many workers would not be able to afford to live.

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“It is not safe and we cannot continue to work in this way. Wards and services are understaffed and ultimately it is our patients who are suffering and the quality of care we provide is falling.

“Our patients are our priority and we must advocate for our patients by speaking out about the conditions we are currently experiencing and fight to achieve a fair restorative pay rise that will bring our NHS and our patient's care back to safety.”