ALL HEALTHCARE staff in Northern Ireland will receive a £500 bonus payment in recognition of their work throughout the pandemic.
The special recognition payment was announced by Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann yesterday, and will be paid to all health care and social care workers, including doctors, nurses, care home workers and administration teams.
The recognition payment is subject to approval from the Department of Finance but is expected to be given the go-ahead, as is as a one-off special recognition payment of £2,000 for certain caring, nursing or medical-based students who have been on clinical placement between 1 October 2020 to 31 March 2021.
Delighted to announce earlier my intention to give students on non-salaried clinical placements, across all year groups, a £2,000 payment in recognition of their enormous contribution during the Covid-19 pandemic. pic.twitter.com/aBbAEd5MpY
— Robin Swann : North Antrim UUP MLA (@RobinSwannMoH) January 27, 2021
Mr Swann, of the Ulster Unionist Party, made the announcements at a televised briefing yesterday afternoon, paying tribute to the "many exampled of collective and individual heroism" since the pandemic began, "and none more so than from our health and social care workers".
The move has been welcomed by healthcare workers, the public at large and usually-opposing parties at Stormont.
Northern Ireland's Sinn Féin and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the £500 bonus is "in recognition of their brave and heroic work on the frontline during the pandemic.
"From those who deliver care to those who care to those who sustain the service - each of you are truly incredible, thank you."
