OVER £50million of NHS cash has been spent on the wages of trade union activists over the past three years, stats show.
The revelation from government figures comes as tens of thousands of paramedics go on strike again on Monday.
Stats show trade union activists have received £50million of NHS cash
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is looking at ways to prevent taxpayers’ cash going on militant unions rather than doctors and nurses.
Activists at Unite, Unison and the GMB are paid out of public funds for doing things like handing out leaflets and plotting strikes — known as facilities time.
All three unions have called ambulance strikes and are Labour Party donors.
A Conservative source said: “The Health Secretary recognises the value of working with trade unions but is also determined to crack down on public money being used to fund political campaigning and instead make sure the NHS budget benefits patients.
“That’s why he will be working to see whether we can reduce this bill and instead spend this money on the NHS frontline.”
Department of Health stats revealed around £11m was spent on facilities time in 2019/20.
This rocketed to around £25.5m in 2020/21 and hit £15.5m in 2021/22.
All three unions have donated over £3m each to Labour under Sir Keir Starmer.
Today, NHS boss Amanda Pritchard warned the walkouts by ambulance crews and nurses are impacting care.
She warned the NHS today is under more pressure than at any other point in the past 25 years.
She added: “Every time we have strike actions . . . it is harder.
“There was a lot of work to plan for strike action that has taken place so far and try to minimise disruption.
“But as the strike action is extended over long periods of time and as those dates start coming closer together it does get more challenging — of that there is no doubt. It is clearly having an impact.”
Ambulance response times in England are the worst on record.
Stats this month show it now takes an average of 93 minutes for an ambulance to get to a stroke patient.
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