Boris Johnson to Lead Public Sector Workers’ Reactivation Campaign

Boris Johnson is planning a public sector recruiting ‘bonanza’ in 2021 as the UK struggles to end the coronavirus pandemic.

More than one million jobs are believed to have been lost as a result of restrictions imposed to control the spread of Covid-19.

As part of efforts to reach those affected by the jobs recession, Downing Street will oversee a recruiting barrage in the coming months to encourage people to consider taking front-line positions in the NHS, teaching and prisons.

There will also be a specific television advertising campaign for police officers, starting on Tuesday 5 January in England and Wales.

Johnson said: ‘We have the best public servants and I feel a tremendous admiration when I think of the care, strength and determination with which our doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and prison workers have faced the challenges. of the pandemic.

“There is light at the end of the Covid tunnel: the vaccine provides growing hope of returning to normal by Easter and I am determined to better rebuild from the pandemic and seize the opportunities that lie ahead.

“My commitment to hiring more teachers, nurses, police officers and other frontline workers is unwavering.

“We’ve come a long way this year, but 2021 will be a year of growth and renewal, and having the best front-line workers will be a critical part of that.”

The hiring drive comes as public services buckle under pressure from the second wave of the pandemic.

A ‘tsunami’ of cases has left just one nurse for every three intensive care patients at the Royal London hospital, while another hospital in the capital has warned that it is about to treat only Covid patients.

Health chiefs have warned that the next few weeks will be “tremendously difficult” for the NHS and that overworked staff, who have had to cancel their leave and come on their days off, run the risk of “exhaustion”.

A survey by the British Medical Association (BMA) found that 67% of physicians reported that current levels of fatigue and exhaustion were higher than normal as they address an increase in Covid cases and a growing backlog of care in addition of the usual seasonal demand.

Nightingale hospitals are preparing to cope with the number of Covid patients, but concerns have been raised that they could be rendered useless due to staff shortages.

According to figures from the Department of Health and Social Care, the number of nurses on the NHS in England increased by 13,313 last year to a record 299,184

But a spokesman for the Royal College of Nursing said the 2020 figures had been ‘inflated’ by staff returning to work during the pandemic.

“The level of unfilled nursing positions is stubbornly high as of 2021,” the spokesperson warned.

“The Government must do everything possible to convince these professionals to stay and bring others permanently, with an early and significant pay increase from the NHS and the real support that nursing students need.”

The number of doctors also increased by an additional 6,030, according to health officials, and the latest figures released in September indicate that there are nearly 122,500 registered in the country.

The number of teachers has also increased, with 41,000 new apprentices hired during 2020.

But many say the pandemic has left them exhausted and demoralized, and that Covid-19 absences affect staffing.

The government is looking to put 20,000 more police on the streets before the next election, with 6,000 already hired. However, senior police officers cautioned that this is not enough to offset cuts during 10 years of austerity.

The ranks of the Border Force have also been strengthened as part of the Brexit preparations. About 900 additional operational staff members were hired in the 2019/20 financial year and a further 1,100 employees will be hired by July 2021, said a spokesperson for Number 10.

Meanwhile, another 1,760 prison officers were recruited in England and Wales, along with 443 additional parole officers, during 2020.

The Justice Ministry plans to hire another 3,200 prison officers and 1,500 probation officers during fiscal year 2021/22, a spokesperson added.

This comes after Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that doctors and nurses will receive a pay increase, but that pay increases for most of the rest of the public sector will be ‘paused’ next year.

Unison Deputy Secretary General Christina McAnea said: “If the government is really serious about hiring, it must end the public sector wage freeze that the Chancellor announced just a few weeks ago.”

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