Northern Ireland

£500 Covid bonus payout for healthcare workers announced four months ago still being 'finalised'

Nurses are among the healthcare staff who are due to receive a £500 bonus announced in January
Nurses are among the healthcare staff who are due to receive a £500 bonus announced in January Nurses are among the healthcare staff who are due to receive a £500 bonus announced in January

A BONUS payment of £500 announced for nurses and healthcare workers in January is still being "finalised" by the Department of Health.

The one-off financial award was pledged by health minister Robin Swann in "special recognition" of frontline efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Irish News understands that trade unions have privately sought clarity about the timing of the payouts, with the hope they would be distributed in the new financial year - which began last month.

Doctors, dentists, care home workers, domiciliary staff, administrative employees and estates teams will also be eligible.

Rita Devlin, acting director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland, said a payment date had not yet been given by department chiefs.

"Nursing staff have been working tirelessly throughout this pandemic which has seen unprecedented pressures on our health and social care services," she said,

"We understand that the one-off payment of £500, which was announced at the end of January, will be paid into salaries in either May or June but we are awaiting confirmation of exact timings."

A department spokeswoman said their officials are "currently finalising the scheme to enable payment as soon as possible".

Mr Swann also announced four months ago that nursing and medical students who were deployed to the frontline since October - and up until March 31 - will also be rewarded with a £2,000 payment.

Meanwhile, the department says that work is ongoing to establish the number of eligible staff working in community optometrists who meet the criteria for the £500 award.

In addition, those in the private sector may also benefit from the scheme after giving over their facilities and staff to the NHS during the first lockdown last year.

For healthcare workers currently receiving government benefits, clarity is being sought with the Department for Communities on whether the bonus can be excluded from incomes assessed for benefits.

Separately, an initiative to develop the north's social care workforce was announced yesterday.

The Social Care Fair Work Forum will put forward proposals to improve conditions and career prospects for those working the sector, which includes domiciliary or 'home help' workers who are often in low paid jobs and on zero hours contracts.

The body will be made up of social care employers, trade unions and the health service representatives.

Chief Social Worker Sean Holland said he hopes the forum will "provide a voice for a workforce who often feel marginalised."