500 Harrogate hospital staff apply for cost-of-living hardship fund

Anyone employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) or Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) is eligible to apply for a one-off £500 payment.

A panel meets each week to consider applications.

The number of people who have applied for the payment was revealed yesterday by HDFT acting chief executive Jonathan Coulter at the trust’s monthly board of directors meeting in Harrogate.

Between HDFT and HIF, there are around 5,000 staff, with the number of hardship fund applications indicating around 10% are currently struggling financially due to increased fuel, food and energy costs.

Mr Coulter said: “It is a signal of some of the difficulties some of our colleagues are under in terms of the national situation.

"We will continue to watch out for those people.”

Other initatives available for staff include being able to sell holiday entitlements to earn extra money.

The trust also advises how to use food banks and provides information on managing finances.

At a meeting in September, Wallace Sampson, hospital trust board member and chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, said he had “mixed feelings” about staff being able to sell annual leave as he believes it is “very much needed” to help with their wellbeing.

The number of staff struggling to make ends meet comes at a time when nurses are preparing to strike for the first time in over 100 years.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking for a 19% pay rise but the government says this is unaffordable.

Harrogate members of the RCN voted to strike but Mr Coulter said that Harrogate is not on the list for the first wave of action on December 15th and December 20th.

Mr Coulter added: “We will continue to support colleagues and support trade unions.

"It’s important that we do value our colleagues in terms of national negotiations or pay awards and we recognise the link between how people feel and are recognised with the ability to recruit and retain staff.

"We will watch this space but there won’t be any [industrial] action before Christmas.”