North East nurses respond to 'outrageous' claims made by Simon Clarke

On BBC Radio Tees, Simon Clarke, the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, told presenter Neil Green: "If you're using a foodbank and earning a salary of £35,000 a year, then something is wrong with your budgeting."

"£35,000 a year is not a salary at which you ought to be relying on food banks. This debate has gotten out of hand. My message is that everyone needs to be responsible in their lives."

This comment sparked ire online, as well as frustration from nurses who were on picket lines. 

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Shauna Dean, who is a specialist nurse with 27 years of experience at University Hospital North Durham, said: "Stats are calculated using figures from London - so they don't necessarily reflect wages here. 

"Even if these figures were true for North East nurses, lots of us are here because we see how newly qualified nurses are struggling. People are studying for three years, and coming out £30,000 in debt to only earn £14 an hour."

Mandy Cranston, another senior nurse in Durham, said: "What world does [Simon Clarke] live in? He must be on another planet if he thinks anyone wants to use a food bank."

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Shauna said: "We're all carrying wounds and PTSD from the pandemic. The government has to take heed. We have given everything to the NHS; we've put work before our families for years, but we are on our knees now." 

Katherine Truelock, a community nurse said that some of the junior nurses within her team had left the profession because they could not afford to continue working. 

She said: "We pay for our own mileage to get to patients within the community, which can easily be £200 a week. Despite being passionate, many newly qualified nurses can't even afford to do the very basics of their job."