Bedfordshire hospital staff using foodbanks feel 'undervalued'

According to Unison, 99% of staff were in favour of the walkout in a strike ballot earlier this month.

Hospital staff are using foodbanks, an employee on strike said.

Maternity care assistant Lisa Smith is among 400 staff from Bedford and Luton & Dunstable hospitals involved in a 48-hour walkout.

Referring to a manager she, said: "I'm sure he doesn't have to visit foodbanks, I don't but I do know colleagues that have had to."

The Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the strikes have impacted services.

Cathy Jones, chief operating officer at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "As a result of the industrial action taking place, our hospitals services will be impacted, with patients likely to experience delays during their appointments.

"Both our inpatients and outpatients may receive care from different clinical members of staff throughout the strike period, however all staff are trained and committed to providing the highest level of care."

Ms Jones said the trust agreed roles should be re-banded but said its offers had been rejected.

Unison said healthcare assistants, who are in salary band 2 of the pay scale, should only be providing personal care and not performing clinical tasks.

It argued that jobs such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas were for band 3 staff.

Lisa Smith said although she does love her job, staff do feel undervalued

Speaking on the picket line during the second day of the strike, Ms Smith said staff "pay is as low as it probably has been since we started".

The maternity care assistant, who has worked at the Luton & Dunstable for 10 years, said: "It would be nice to be appreciated and to maybe feel that appreciation in our pay-packet.

"The cost of living, everything is getting harder, everything is going up except our wages."

She explained some staff worked extra shifts to make more money but, after deducting childcare fees, were only left with about £40 per shift.

Ms Smith said she love her job but the workload could be difficult.

She said: "We have lots of staff shortages and we're brought in to close the gaps, we assist midwives and do quite a lot of their work.

"Lots of people think it's all about holding babies and having fun but actually you're leaving some days and you're crying because you've had such a hard day."

Connie McKeown said she has been carrying out many tasks above her pay band while working as a health care assistant

Connie McKeown, who has worked at the hospital for 15 years, said staff "feel very undervalued and unappreciated".

The health care assistant said she has been carrying out tasks beyond her pay band for years.

She said: "I don't feel we're recognised for all the hard work that we do, we've been underpaid and undervalued for a long time and we feel we're not going to take it any more.

"A lot of people seem to think all we do is feed patients and wash patients and that's so far from the truth it's unreal."