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We understand that during this ongoing pandemic many nurses are anxious about the effects of Covid-19 on their health, their ability to work and the financial implications of being unable to work. Here at MedGen, we are doing everything we can to support our workforce. We’ve compiled a number of resources that aim to assist with any queries you may have around Covid-19.
Statutory sick pay (SSP)
You can now claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from day one of self-isolation if you’re too ill to work. This will be paid by MedGen for up to 28 weeks. You must be eligible for SSP.
Read more here.
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
If you’re ineligible to claim SSP you can apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. You can also apply for ESA if you cannot work while you are self-isolating because of coronavirus (COVID-19).
ESA gives you:
•money to help with living costs if you’re unable to work
•support to get back into work if you’re able to
You can apply for ESA if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed.
Read more here.
Furlough and the Job Retention Scheme
For any Furlough enquiries please email hr@medgen.co.uk. For more information about this, see the government's guidance: Check if your employer can use the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
Mortgage holidays
Under the government’s policy, you can apply for a payment holiday of up to three months. A mortgage payment holiday allows for monthly mortgage repayments to be paused for a set period of time.
Read more here.
Ban on evictions and protection for renters
The government has announced a radical package of measures to protect renters and landlords affected by coronavirus. As a result, no renter in either social or private accommodation will be forced out of their home during this difficult time.
Read more here.
Nursing support
Many nursing charities are providing emotional, professional and financial support to nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic.
RCN Lamplight Support Service
The RCN's Lamplight Support Service provides:
advice on benefit entitlements
advice on maximising income during a period of reduced income
signposting to relevant debt advice services.
Find out more here
Members of the nursing community who are not currently working on the frontline can apply for support through the RCN Foundation hardship fund.
Find out more here.
Cavell Nurses’ Trust
The Cavell Nurses Trust offers financial support for short term financial emergencies, for example:
Nurses, midwives or HCAs facing financial hardship due to: needing to self isolate, being unable to access occupational sick pay or benefits, losing access to overtime, bank shifts, agency shifts or other enhancements, or those who are self employed.
Nurses, midwives or HCAs facing financial hardship because their household or partner’s income has been affected due to Coronavirus, e.g. because their partner is self-employed or works in an industry adversely affected by Coronavirus.
You can read more and apply for a grant here
Turn2us
If you wish to explore other sources of charitable grants, Turn2us has a comprehensive database that you can search.
We’d like to offer our sincerest gratitude to all of our committed nurses who continue to work through these challenging times. We’d also like to reassure all of you that whilst we are doing our upmost to place as many of our agency nurses as possible, the current demand for agency workers has decreased slightly over the course of this pandemic as organisations redirect their non-essential services workers to other more pressing areas. We appreciate that this is frustrating for those of you are willing to work but we are confident that as non-essential services start to return to normality, demand will once again increase rapidly.
Thank you for your ongoing patience and loyalty. Everyone here at MedGen is truly grateful for everything that you are doing. You can read more about Coronavirus on our website or visit Gov.co.uk for all of the latest information.