Priti Patel has buckled to pressure for more support for families of migrant NHS cleaners, porters and social care workers who die in the coronavirus pandemic, after a senior medical adviser hailed their contribution, saying: “There are many, many heroes within the NHS, not just doctors and nurses.”
Within minutes of NHS England medical director Stephen Powis’ impassioned tribute at the daily Downing Street press conference, the Home Office announced a U-turn on its policy excluding support staff and care workers from the offer extended to foreign-national doctors and nurses of indefinite leave to remain in the UK for their families if they die.
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The lesser treatment for some of the NHS’s lowest-paid workers – many of them employed by private companies under outsourcing arrangements – had been branded an “outrageous scandal” by the GMB union.
And when Oliver Dowden, the culture secretary, was challenged on it at the No 10 briefing, he promised that ministers would look at the policy, which he said was was being “kept under review”.
Prof Powis said that decisions on immigration status were a matter for ministers, but added: “As a doctor who has worked on the frontline for many years, I value the entire multidisciplinary team – everybody from porter to manager to administrator to nurse who absolutely work together as a team in managing this sort of crisis, but also the day-to-day care that the NHS provides.
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
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NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
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Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
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6/30 Salford Royal Hospital
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7/30 Salford Royal Hospital
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Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
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A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
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A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
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Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
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Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
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Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
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Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
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An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
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NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
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NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
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NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
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21/30 Mater Infirmorum Hospital
People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
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22/30 Waterloo Station, London
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Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
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A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
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Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
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Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
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A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
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29/30 Royal Derby Hospital
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NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
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Staff react outside Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
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Staff inside Camberwell bus depot in London, during a minute’s silence
PA
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NHS staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, during a minute’s silence to pay tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak.
PA
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Shoppers observe a minute’s silence in Tescos in Shoreham
Getty
5/30
Firefighters outside Godstone fire station
PA
6/30 Salford Royal Hospital
Getty
7/30 Salford Royal Hospital
PA
8/30
Hospital workers take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE across Britain for all workers in care, the NHS and other vital public services after a nationwide minute’s silence at University College Hospital in London
AP
9/30
A school children’s poster hanging outside Glenfield Hospital during a minute’s silence
Getty
10/30
A man holds a placard that reads “People’s health before profit” outside St Thomas hospital
Getty
11/30
Staff members applaud outside the Royal Derby Hospital, following a minute’s silence
PA
12/30
Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill, Prime minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, stand inside 10 Downing Street, London, to observe a minutes silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
13/30 University College Hospital, London
Hospital workers hold placards with the names of their colleagues who have died from coronavirus as they take part in a protest calling on the British government to provide PPE
AP
14/30
Staff at Waterloo Station in London, stand to observe a minute’s silence, to pay tribute to NHS and key workers who have died with coronavirus
AP
15/30
Medical staff at the Louisa Jordan hospital stand during a UK wide minutes silence to commemorate the key workers who have died with coronavirus in Glasgow
Getty
16/30 London
An NHS worker observes a minute’s silence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Reuters
17/30 Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London
AFP via Getty
18/30 Belfast, Northern Ireland
NHS staff observe a minutes silence at Mater Infirmorum Hospital
Reuters
19/30 Plymouth
NHS workers hold a minute’s silence outside the main entrance of Derriford Hospital
Getty
20/30
NHS Frimley Park Hospital staff at the A&E department observe a minute’s silence
Getty
21/30 Mater Infirmorum Hospital
People applaud after a minutes silence in honour of key workers
Reuters
22/30 Waterloo Station, London
AP
23/30
Wreaths laid outside Sheffield town hall
PA
24/30
A group of trade unionists and supporters standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
25/30
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon stands outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh to observe a minute’s silence in tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak
PA
26/30
Staff stand outside the Royal Derby Hospital, during a minutes silence
PA
27/30 London
Police officers observe a minutes silence at Guy’s Hospital
Reuters
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A woman standing outside Sheffield town hall
PA
29/30 Royal Derby Hospital
PA
30/30 Leicester,
NHS workers during a minute’s silence outside Glenfield Hospital
Getty
“It’s often the doctors and nurses at the front who get the praise, but believe me there are a huge number of people working behind the scenes … There are many, many heroes within the NHS, not just doctors and nurses.”
Within minutes, Ms Patel issued a statement that all families and dependants of NHS support staff and social care workers who die as result of contracting coronavirus were being brought into the scheme, free of charge, effective immediately and retrospectively.
The home secretary had come under pressure to rethink the policy from Commons Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper, who told her in a letter it would be “unthinkable” to tell the family of someone who died as a result of looking after Covid-19 patients that they must leave the country.
In her statement, Ms Patel said: “Every death in this crisis is a tragedy, and sadly some NHS support staff and social care workers have made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of saving the lives of others.
“When I announced the introduction of the bereavement scheme in April, I said we would continue to work across government to look at ways to offer further support. Today we are extending the scheme to NHS support staff and social care workers.
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“We want to ensure families have the support they need and so this will be effective immediately and retrospectively.”
Her announcement came shortly after prime minister Boris Johnson revealed that the deaths of more than 300 heath and care workers of all kinds have been linked to Covid-19.
Ms Cooper welcomed the U-turn, saying: “The Home Affairs Committee has been pressing on this for weeks. It would be unthinkable to ask a family who had lost a loved one as a result of caring for people with Covid-19 to leave their home and the country when they have already given so much to the UK fighting against this awful virus.”
But she said the support and care staff should now also be included in the offer of free one-year visa extensions offered to around 3,000 migrant NHS doctors, nurses and paramedics whose working visas expire before 1 October this year.
“Why should those who care for and transport vulnerable patients and scrub the floors and door handles of the Covid wards be excluded from the NHS visa extension scheme?” asked Ms Cooper.
“The Government should now expand free visa extensions and waive the immigration health surcharge for care workers and low-paid NHS staff too. Making the lowest paid NHS and care workers pay thousands of pounds and wrestle with the UK immigration system while they are working to care for and support UK residents in the midst of this coronavirus crisis is unfair and wrong.”
GMB organiser Lola McEvoy said: “It doesn’t bear thinking about what key workers’ families who’ve lost their loved ones have been going through, but when you add in the extra insecurity of not knowing if you’ll be deported, it’s unacceptable.”
Welcoming the U-turn, Ms McEvoy said: “Not only is it the right thing to do, it’s also an acceptance that – regardless who you work for, where you were born or how much you’re paid – if you have fought frontline during this pandemic, you and your family will be supported and treated the same.”
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine said the offer “adds insult to injury” by telling those risking their lives in hospitals that “their contribution will only be recognised if they die”.
“That is not good enough,” said Ms Jardine. “The home secretary should give all foreign nationals working in the NHS and social care and their families the indefinite leave to remain in the UK, with no costs or bureaucratic hurdles. It is the very least she can do.”
