Rishi Sunak caught off guard by hospital patient who tells him to pay NHS staff more

Rishi Sunak found himself needing treatment for a burn today - so it was lucky he was in a hospital.

The prime minister was swanning around Croydon University Hospital in South London on Friday, probably trying to get good PR, when all hopes of doing so were to put to bed by a patient who confronted him about nurses’ pay.

Catherine Poole, a 77-year-old patient who is recovering from surgery was asked by the PM if the nurses were looking after her. He later inquired whether bears s**t in the woods... (not).

“You need to pay them,” Poole instructed the PM.

Sunak said his government was "trying" but this was not enough to reassure Poole.

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“You are not trying, you need to try harder,” she told him.

Sunak went on to say that the NHS was important.

“Yes, and look after it,” Poole told him.

Take a look at the exchange here:

It comes as thousands of nurses across the country are currently balloting on walk-outs, as healthcare workers call for a pay rise amid soaring inflation.

But Sunak dodged reporter's questions about the issue after the exchange.

Asked if he was happy that nurses are not getting a real-term increase in pay, he said: “It is brilliant to be here at Croydon Hospital, to see the great work of the doctors and nurses here.

“One of the priorities for my Government is going to be tackling the Covid backlogs and supporting the NHS.

“We face lots of challenges as a country, but I am confident that we can fix the economy and deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto, including having a stronger NHS.”

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