Nurse who worked for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals during Covid upset at being denied £200 'thank you' bonus

A Sheffield-based community dental nurse who was redeployed into operating theatres during the pandemic has been denied a £200 ‘thank you’ bonus.
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Sheridan Loxley earlier this month received an email confirming she was due to receive the payment to say thank you for the work she did in operating theatres during the Covid lockdowns.

However, Ms Loxley finished working for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals on November 12, as she needed to move to Warrington to be with her partner.

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This means that, in spite of the fact she worked for the trust between February 2019 and this month, including during the pandemic, she has been told she will in fact not receive her bonus as it only being awarded to those still employed by the trust at the end of November.

Sheridan Loxley is a dental nurse who worked for the NHS in Sheffield during the Covid pandemicSheridan Loxley is a dental nurse who worked for the NHS in Sheffield during the Covid pandemic
Sheridan Loxley is a dental nurse who worked for the NHS in Sheffield during the Covid pandemic

Ms Loxley explained: “I was redeployed into theatres for three months during Covid as all the scrub nurses were redeployed onto Covid wards. I had no general nursing or theatre background but I still stepped forward to help out the community and the NHS.

"I also worked on the Covid testing when they first introduced them before being moved onto operating theatres.

“I have disputed their decision not to pay me the bonus but they still say because I’m leaving I’m not getting it.

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"This is hardly a recognition of my hard work throughout Covid-19 when other NHS staff have done far less than I have to qualify for the payment.

"The letter states staff who have just joined the trust will get it, as well as staff who are suspended or were isolating through the whole pandemic. It is demoralising for the staff who have shown commitment and strength through a really difficult time to just get told ‘no’.

"It’s hard to accept that I worked for other departments through the whole pandemic, seeing them through some really rough times which impacted on me mentally, to now be told I’m not getting the thank you payment.

"I just wanted to express how let down I’m feeling for working so hard during this awful time and feel I have been completely dismissed.”

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Kirsten Major, chief executive of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, said: “Our staff have not only worked incredibly hard over the past two years to provide care for over 7,000 patients with COVID-19 but they have also kept most other services running where it was safe to do so.

“They have sacrificed their own weekends, evenings and days off with their family and worked many hours way beyond what their paid role required. We are so grateful for the unfaltering support they have given and continue to give and so have made a small gesture of recognition for all their unpaid efforts during this unprecedented time.

“There was an initial thank you payment of £100 earlier this year and then we are giving another £200. The amount was the same regardless of role or seniority.

"The second payment was awarded to staff still employed by the trust at the end of November. Ms Loxley left the trust before this date which is why she has not received the second payment. We have responded directly to her to explain the reason.”