Exclusive

'I give up': NHS nurse tells LBC she has paper round to make ends meet

3 October 2021, 09:51 | Updated: 3 October 2021, 09:58

"I give up!": Nurse on paper round to pay for fuel

By Seán Hickey

This community nurse tells LBC she is 'at the point of giving up' as the fuel crisis leaves her uncertain to whether she can continue working.

Helen phoned in from Salisbury to tell Andrew Castle how the fuel crisis has put an extra stress on her as she tries to make ends meet.

She hit out against people online who suggested those worried about filling up their cars should use public transport.

Read more: M25 eco protest delays left my mum paralysed from stroke, devastated caller tells LBC

Read more: Haulage industry has 'serious measure of blame' for HGV shortage, Iain Duncan Smith says

"How would they like me to see ten patients a day with all the equipment I carry on public transport?"

She went on to tell Andrew just how dire her situation is: "I can't get fuel, my car's really low on fuel, I can't make ends meet with my money that I get in the NHS, so I do a paper round every morning to make £40 extra a week to pay for my fuel."

Read more: 'Stop being stupid!' NHS workers urge Brits to stop panic-buying fuel

The caller then said she was horrified by the fuel panic buying on display over the last fortnight. "I just give up."

Read more: 'This is not Cuba!': David Lammy's damning take on the UK fuel crisis

Ex-Petrol tanker driver: 'I earn more money doing Uber Eats.'

Read more: Maajid Nawaz: Troop deployment shows govt 'has monumentally failed' Britain

Andrew was left speechless by the nurse's story. "Yours is an essential service", he said, before wondering how her patients would cope if she was taken off the road.

Read more: Boris Johnson promises 'big, bold decisions' amid fears of a winter crisis

"They'll put pressure on A&E" Helen said, insisting that they wouldn't cope without her.

"It's just so stressful."

She added that she spends "ages and ages trying to get to clients because of the fuel cues" and stressed that people should consider these workers when they join such queues.

"I just give up", she reiterated.