We are establishing Supporting Healthcare Heroes UK in order to support healthcare workers facing chronic illness and disability due to post-Covid illness. Our aim is to prevent and alleviate poverty and financial hardship for healthcare workers who developed post-acute covid-19 complications (Long Covid) following Covid-19 which was acquired because of carrying out their duties during the pandemic, whether or not they are still employed, by providing financial grants to individuals and/or other organisations and charities with similar aims.

Thanks to your support we have already raised £2000 (see here ) and our application for charitable status has already been submitted to the Charities Commission. Our website is also taking shape: https://shh-uk.org/ - make sure to bookmark it to keep an eye on updates as well as our social media feeds:

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Why do healthcare workers need support?

• Healthcare workers have been working on the frontline throughout the pandemic often without adequate protective equipment. For a significant proportion of healthcare workers their reward has been Long Covid and an uncertain future both professionally and personally.

• Most NHS staff were receiving covid ‘special’ sick pay until the autumn of 2022. At that point they were placed onto standard sickness absence terms and conditions meaning a maximum of six months on full pay followed by six months half pay depending on their length of service.

• Despite covid special sick pay being in place, many staff have been dismissed on the grounds of sickness capability. The number of staff being sacked is now increasing week on week since covid sick pay has stopped.

• Furthermore, many healthcare workers did not have access to Covid special sick pay or any similar pay protections at all.

• Many healthcare workers are now facing financial destitution but are still not well enough to safely return to work.

• There is currently no financial safety net for these healthcare workers.

To become a registered charity, we need to prove to the Charity Commission that we can raise money. Given this we have set up this page and we are aiming to raise £5,000.

There are vast numbers of healthcare workers facing financial destitution as a result of chronic post-acute Covid complications, and these numbers are likely to continue to increase. Research conducted by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus has estimated NHS England lost 1.82 million healthcare worker days to Long Covid from March 2020 to September 2021 (APPG Coronavirus 2022). The number of healthcare workers with Long Covid is likely to increase over time because healthcare workers continue to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 through the process of carrying out their duties, and the risks of Long Covid increase with each Covid infection.

All monies raised will be used to establish the charity and to directly support healthcare workers with Long Covid. Once the charity is established and registered, we hope to be in position to start giving financial hardship grants to affected healthcare workers in the coming months.

Thank you!