Tobias Ellwood, MP for Bournemouth East, has long been campaigning for NHS staff to be awarded with long service medals arguing that it is time NHS staff were treated the same as other front line emergency workers.
Commenting, he said: “In our military, those who reach 15 years of service are awarded the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The police, fire, ambulance and even crime agency services have similar medals to recognise their service and sacrifice."
“While we applauded NHS staff during the Covid-19 Pandemic, it might surprise people that they alone, of all this country’s public servants, are ineligible for national recognition by the King. It is high time this anomaly was ended by creating a Long Service and Good Conduct Medal for NHS staff. I cannot praise NHS staff enough – especially those I know well at Royal Bournemouth Hospital, which I visit regularly. They work with a selfless dedication for their patients, yet appear not to be rewarded properly – either in their salaries or the respect they receive."
He recommends that the new medal be called The King Charles Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct in the NHS.
Mr Ellwood has made it explicitly clear that his medal campaign is not an alternative to raising wages, it is his hope that both can be achieved. Talking to the Telegraph, in December 2022, Mr Ellwood said: “The ongoing dispute over pay conditions must be resolved. Morale is suffering while vacancies soar, placing staff under immense pressure. I hope the Government will redouble efforts to secure an agreement.”
You can read the Telegraph article here:
Doctors and nurses should be awarded long service medals, says Tory MP (telegraph.co.uk)
