Nurses and care workers who gave their all working on the coronavirus frontline say they feel as if they’ve been ‘slapped around the face’ after the government gave almost one million public sector workers inflation-busting pay rises – but left them with nothing.

Doctors, dentists, teachers, judges and police officers are among those who will receive increases of up to 3.1% in 2020/2021, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak praising them for their ‘vital contribution’ during the pandemic.

But nurses and care workers – as well as junior doctors, hospital porters and cleaners and job centre workers – were seemingly shunned in the deal, with the government insisting alternative pay rise schemes have already been set up for them.

Advanced nurse practitioner Anita, 57, says seeing the announcement this morning made her feel like she had been ‘laid down and kicked’ after her team was ‘battered’ for months by the Covid-19 crisis.

The rapid community response team worker, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has warned many nurses are already planning on leaving the profession and the lack of pay rise will ‘rubber stamp’ this decision.

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Speaking to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘I’m tired, weary. The pay rise announcement today made it feel like we’d been laid down and kicked to be honest. It’s ridiculous. 

‘I’ve been qualified 17 years, I’ve never ever been through anything like the first six weeks after the lockdown.’

‘Hospitals virtually shut down and GPs weren’t going out so our team got absolutely battered. Us and paramedics were virtually the only people who were going out to patients in the community. 

‘Aside from coronavirus patients, there were an awful lot of people who had long-term conditions that required monitoring and evaluating. 

‘They had appointments cancelled, investigations cancelled and we were left picking that up with no options whatsoever for treatment for them. It was horrifying, soul-destroying.’

The government has stated nurses are not included in the pay rises as they agreed a separate Agenda for Change three-year deal in 2018, which will result in the average nurse receiving ‘an average 4.4% rise this year’.

However, the nursing community has argued the vast majority of frontline nurses are in Band 5 and received just a 1.65% rise in April.

Vicky, 45, who works as a senior nurse on a pediatric surgical cardiac ward, has named the ‘lack of acknowledgment’ for her hard work during the pandemic ‘insulting’.

She said: ‘That nurses had a “pay rise” agreed in 2018 with Agenda For Change is not an excuse and also misleading as the 4% quoted is over several years and doesn’t make up for the last 10 years of effective pay cuts, as well below inflation.

‘It’s insulting to all nursing auxiliary staff and social care workers also. Nurses have been thrown under a bus.’

The government has also been criticised by the social care community after many care workers who were on minimum wage salaries during the pandemic were not included in the pay boosts.

The Department of Health and Social Care says it is ‘immensely grateful’ to all social care workers, but has argued that the vast majority are employed by private sector providers, meaning their salaries will be set by local authorities.

However public sector care worker Georgina White, 56, who works with dementia patients, those who require round-the-clock attention and one end-of-life patient, says her efforts have been ignored.

She has accused the government of giving little thought to the mental strain the profession has been put under during the pandemic, saying: ‘We were front line, no matter what anybody says’.

She told Metro.co.uk ‘I feel like the prime minister might have well as slapped us around the face and said “to be honest, you don’t deserve it”.’

‘When you’re telling a dementia patient 40 times a day the reason why they’re not allowed out of their room or to see their family, it’s the mental strain as well as the physical. 

‘I’ve just finished a weekend of two 13 hour shifts. No offence to judges, I’m sure they do a fantastic job but they get a 2% rise and a woman like me doesn’t?

‘It’s disgusting, I could not believe it when I read it this morning. What an absolute insult.’

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady has called for social care workers to ‘urgently’ join the ranks of those offered pay rises.

She said: ‘Many public sector workers, like job centre staff and local government workers, aren’t getting these rises. They deserve a decent pay settlement too.

‘And the government should urgently announce a pay rise for social care workers, who put their lives on the line to care for others during this pandemic.’

When approached for comment, the DoH cited comments made today by Matt Hancock.

The health secretary said: ‘These past few months have been an incredibly challenging time for our NHS, and the resolve, professionalism and dedication of staff has been on show throughout. 

‘We are able to accept the recommendations of the independent pay review body for dentists and doctors. 

‘I am committed to supporting the entire NHS and social care workforce through improved recruitment and retention and delivering 50,000 more nurses and 6,000 more doctors in general practice.’

The DoH added that ‘nurses do a fantastic job, working incredibly hard, day in, day out – and we need to do more to make sure they feel valued and supported’.

They said: ‘Since the start of the AfC deal in 2017/18 we have increased the starting salary for nurses by 12% – to nearly £25,000. Existing nurses will have seen a pay rise of at least 6.5% over this time, with those below the top of their pay band able to move to the top of the pay band more quickly than under the previous pay structure.’

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