We all know what a mess the health service is in under this government. We all know too the fantastic job done by doctors and nurses despite the problems. So I was disgusted to hear in my meeting with a Rhondda nurse this week that their pay is actually being cut by the government. A new pay system has been brought in and many will lose hundreds of pounds a year. Even the annual pay rise is being staggered between April and November which means it won’t be worth 2.5% but instead will go down to 1.9%. Inflation now is 4.6%.
But I also read this week that the Scottish Parliament decided to give nurses in Scotland their pay rise in one go on April 1st. The Assembly in Wales doen’t have the power to even do that!
It really is time for a change in the way the health service is run. It should be rooted in our local communities and be about promoting wellbeing as well as treating illness. A Plaid Cymru government would stop the hospital closure programme (delayed by Labour until after the elections in May) and create a new community health service for the people of Wales.
