A growing number of hospitals in the UK are having to set up foodbanks for NHS staff in need amid the rising cost of living crisis.
With inflation having now risen to the 40-year UK high of 9%, and costs continuing to increase across a broad range of areas including food, fuel, and energy bills, it has now been exclusively revealed by The Independent that six NHS trusts in England have has to set up food banks for staff struggling to afford the basics.
Others have chosen to launch food voucher schemes or emergency “hardship” loans, and some have increased the payments made to workers to help cover their travel costs.
A number other hospitals have also confirmed that they are considering making similar moves.
According to the Cavell Nurses’ Trust – an organisation supporting nurses, midwives, and health assistants in financial difficulties – there has been 140% rise in the number of people seeking help in the first four months of 2022, compared with the same period in 2021.
Professor Alison Leary – chair of healthcare and workforce modelling at London South Bank University – also told The Independent they have been several NHS organisations who are “very concerned” about the impact of the cost of living on their staff.
“Some are looking at starting food exchanges or food banks, and others are looking at other ways to help, for example with the costs of transport,” she added.
🔴Exclusive: Hospitals across the country have set up food banks and emergency “hardship” loans as health leaders warn staff are “struggling to feed their families” https://t.co/byR65hp9oh
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) also echoed the concerns of many health leaders, saying that rising costs have had it seeing staff “struggling to feed their family.”
Graham Revie – chair of the Royal College of Nursing’s Trade Union Committee – explained that many staff are being left out of pocked and also stressed that “thousands” of nurses are leaving the profession every year, citing pay among the key reasons for doing so.
“This is an outrageous state of affairs, and a big admission that the NHS knows how its workers are struggling while the government denies them fair pay,” Mr Revie added.
Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust (NSFT), Norfolk Community Health and Care, West Hertfordshire, Dartford and Gravesham have so far needed to introduce some of these services to help staff in need, with Sheffield Teaching Hospitals having already set up a staff food bank in 2020, and University Hospitals Birmingham also having had one for a number of years.
There has been 140% rise in the number of NHS staff seeking help in the first four months of 2022 / Credit: The Trussell Trust
Addressing the situation and the findings in The Independent’s report, a government spokesperson said: “We are incredibly grateful to all our NHS staff and we recognise the pressures caused by the rising cost of living.
“We are taking action worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 to help households with the costs of energy and to ensure people keep more of their money.
“This includes by cutting fuel duty, raising the threshold at which people start to pay National Insurance and cutting taxes, for the lowest-paid workers on Universal Credit so they can keep more of what they earn.”
Featured Image – The Trussell Trust
News
‘No suspicious circumstances’ ruled as body found in search for missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei
Emily Sergeant
A body has now been found in the search for missing Manchester man, Adeo Alston-Ekpei.
The 25-year-old was last seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm on Friday 16 May, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.
Multiple lines of enquiry were being explored by police, and some CCTV footage of his last-known movements was released to the public earlier this month.
At the time of the CCTV footage being released, a spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.
A body has now been found in the search for missing Manchester man, Adeo Alston-Ekpei / Credit: GMP / Family Handout
“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”
Now, after over a month of dedicated searches by all involved, detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have confirmed they recovered a body on Schools Hill in Cheadle last week.
Whilst formal identification is still to take place, the body is believed to be that of Adeo.
#UPDATE | Detectives searching for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, 25, who was last seen in Didsbury on Friday 16 May, have recovered a body on Schools Hill, Cheadle.
There are no suspicious circumstances and his family are being supported.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 21, 2025
Police say Adeo’s family have been informed of this development, and continue to be supported through this extremely difficult time.
“We would like to thank everyone who has shared our appeals and passed their well wishes onto Adeo’s loved ones throughout this extensive search,” GMP said in a formal statement. “We would now ask that the family be allowed privacy.”
It was also confirmed that there appears to be ‘no suspicious circumstances’ surrounding Adeo’s death, and a file will now be passed to the coroner.
Featured Image – GMP
News
Four rare African ducklings have been hatched at Chester Zoo for the very first time
Danny Jones
More conversation celebration down the road at Chester Zoo, as the award-winning wildlife park has welcomed four African ducklings who belong to a rare breed.
As is so often the case with the work they do all year-round, their arrival could help signal the species’ survival in the long run, whose status was sadly upgraded from vulnerable to endangered on the official IUCN Red List.
The particular type of fowl we’re referring to is the Maccao duck, a stiff-tailed bird that typically belongs to the fresh and brackish inland waters of Eastern and Southern Africa.
Medium-sized, chunky, with big bills and subtle striping around their heads, they’re gorgeous creatures as is, but especially so as ducklings…
If you didn’t say ‘awww’ out loud, then you’re just lying.
As the Zoo itself put it, they are “rare, fluffy and VERY cute.” Celebrating what is “a breeding breakthrough for one of Africa’s rarest ducks […] so these little guys are kind of a big deal.”
These little delightful little duckies are known for diving down to the bottom of lakes and riverbeds to forage for aquatic invertebrates and plants; in fact, given the choice, they tend to prefer going underwater over flying pretty much full-stop.
As a resident species that doesn’t migrate like many other birds, they are native to nations like Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia. They’re identifiable by their dark black heads, blue bills (among the males, at least) and presence within the wetlands.
However, their estimated numbers continue to drop, and unfortunately, just 14 of their kind currently remain in Kenya and only 100 in Tanzania, with fewer than 5,000 believed to be left across the entire African continent.
Not only is this the first time the species has ever been successfully bred by bird experts at Chester Zoo, but conservationists hope ducklings will put a spotlight on the threatened species.
Their scientific name is ‘Oxyura maccoa’.Just like human babies, they prone to stuff all over their face.As far as ducklings go, these adorable little African variants are pretty special. (Credit: Supplied)
The zoo’s Head of Birds, Andrew Owen, said of their birth: “As one of just seven zoos in Europe – and 12 zoos globally – that care for Maccoa ducks, these ducklings are very special as they’re the first of their kind to ever hatch here at the zoo – making it a really historic moment for our team,
“This success gives a real boost to the future of the species, and these vital new additions will contribute to the safety-net population in zoos. These birds are facing rapid decline in the wild, so every hatchling really does count.
“To see them now out on the water inside our new Heart of Africa habitat, which is dedicated to helping Africa’s most threatened species thrive, makes this milestone even more special.”
Nothing short of brilliant news, we’re sure you’ll agree; better still, in addition to the crucially charitable and conversation-based tourist attraction being named one of England’s most popular destinations once again, but these are the only rare birds welcome by the zookeepers this month.
Emily Sergeant -
24th May 2022 
