A nurse has accused the government of "betraying" health workers over pay, and is urging others to join calls for a better deal.

Candy Gregory, a volunteer nurse from Minster, Thanet, is a member of the Save Our NHS In Kent campaign group.

She said: “The government’s suggestion that NHS workers, after all they’ve done and gone through, should now get only a 1% pay rise is a gross betrayal."

She said NHS workers had worked extra shifts over the past year as a result of the pandemic, "battling in understaffed and over-capacity wards and departments with lack of effective PPE".

She continued: "They have seen around a thousand colleagues die and many more battle with long Covid.

“While we all clapped in appreciation during the summer every Thursday evening, the government’s contempt for the best of us was brewing.

“And the day after Budget day we learned that our NHS workers, whose pay had already fallen to insultingly low levels over the years, were being given a paltry 1% pay rise. Effectively another pay cut.

“NHS workers feel betrayed by this government. Devalued, disrespected and apoplectic with rage that the clap has turned into a slap.”

Candy also pointed out the negative impact the suggested pay rise was likely to have on NHS recruitment.

She added: “This is a system already plagued with chronic staffing shortages. We have 100,000 job vacancies overall, 45,000 nursing vacancies.

"After this government announcement, we will now have many more wanting to give up their demanding, stressful, financially unrewarding careers.

“We cannot afford to lose any more, at the risk of patient safety."

Save Our NHS is a campaigning organisation across England, committed to reversing what it describes as the ongoing privatisation of the NHS and its services.

Candy said many people in the NHS were "angry", adding: “Please join us and support the unions who are demanding a pay award commensurate with their workers' worth.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier today the government had tried to give NHS staff “as much as we possibly can” after recommending a 1% pay rise.

The proposal has sparked talk of industrial action and demonstrations were planned across England today.

An Opinium poll carried out on Friday and Saturday suggested as much as 72% of the population think the wage recommendation is too low, including 58% of Tory voters.

An independent pay review body is due to consider the proposal.

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