DECADES of real-terms funding cuts and outsourcing have combined to undermine and reduce NHS services and demoralise NHS staff. 

The government’s strategy towards the NHS is no accident — it is part of a neoliberal project intended to destroy all the gains made by the working class up to and after the second world war. 

For many years the idea that “private is better than public” has been used as a means to open the doors of the NHS to private businesses. 

Many were convinced into believing that private money could be used to “invest in the NHS” and improve it. 

This turned out to be false, as the NHS was left with crippling debt and the pay, terms and conditions of all NHS staff were eroded to the point that poverty is now a feature of life for many NHS workers. 

The attacks on NHS workers went hand in hand with the quality and quantity of NHS services being reduced across the country. 

Many dedicated and experienced NHS staff have been driven out of the service for good as adhering to market principles and strict financial models became more important than delivering patient care.

One thing has become clear during this national emergency and that is that the NHS is nothing without its staff including doctors, cleaners, nurses and porters. 

They have worked tirelessly to deliver groundbreaking care and treatment despite all of the attacks on the NHS and failures in leadership at all levels. 

Considering that we entered this pandemic with shortages of NHS staffing and vital equipment, it is simply astounding that our staff have been able to treat patients effectively. 

Patients have survived coronavirus and walked out of hospitals thanks to the hard work and herculean efforts of front-line NHS staff.

However, the dedication of staff has taken a heavy toll on their physical and psychological wellbeing. 

We have lost too many of our experienced hospital workers to this deadly virus. Day in and day out NHS staff have turned up to work in a state of fear and anxiety. 

They have had to work without PPE, without clear guidance and been left to work things out for themselves at speed. 

The bonfire of health and safety regulations which has been occurring over many years has made the task of keeping themselves, patients and the public safe a daily battle.

NHS workers who survive this pandemic will never be the same again. Some will be grieving for lost colleagues and may suffer “survivor guilt.” 

They will be angry having seen TV coverage of the Tory government blaming them for the lack of PPE when they never had enough of this kit in the first place. 

Others will have survived the harrowing experience of supporting those who are left dying alone and in distress. 

They will have had to cope with huge workloads and endure the additional pressure of having to adapt themselves to working in different areas with minimum training and support. 

While NHS workers have faced all of these problems and more, they have had to deal with managers who have denied the seriousness of the working conditions they have faced and hovered over them threatening them with disciplinary action if they dare to argue for the PPE they are entitled to or if they speak out about how they have been failed. 

NHS workers and the public simply cannot accept a situation where the NHS reverts to business as usual after this pandemic. 

Before we lose even more of our dedicated, hard-working NHS staff, they will need access to care and treatment themselves so that they can continue to deliver NHS services to the public beyond this pandemic. 

Rolling out free online wellbeing courses and apps that NHS staff are too exhausted to access won’t cut it. 

What is required is a programme to rebuild and reinvest in mental health service provision which will be critical to ensure that NHS workers suffering from PTSD and other mental illnesses as a result of this pandemic will get timely and free access to therapy and other services.

NHS workers across the spectrum must now be rewarded with the pay and conditions they need in order to get to grips with the recruitment crisis that has occurred in the NHS following years of pay cuts.  

Securing justice for NHS workers, patients and their families who have been adversely affected by Covid-19 will become a pressing issue as those affected the most will want answers to why they were let down so badly by those in power.

Coming out of this pandemic, the trade union movement will have choices to make. 

We can allow the process of the disintegration and privatisation of the National Health Service to continue, leaving workers and even unions to fight individual sporadic battles, or we can unite the whole movement working in solidarity in the battle to reverse the NHS cuts that have already taken place and to fight to rebuild the NHS for the future. 

This pandemic won’t be the last. We are likely to see further public health emergencies develop in Britain. 

Unions and communities can and must unite to demand that our NHS is equipped and ready to deal with such future emergencies. 

This starts with making sure dedicated NHS staff, delivering services, get fair pay, decent health and safety protection, equal treatment and the justice that they need and that they deserve.

Helen O’Connor is GMB Southern Region organiser.