The Filipino NHS staff battling Covid and seeking proper recognition

We've heard of some wards in London hospitals where around 70% of nurses are Filipino, and yet a lot of people from the community feel they're not being represented, that their voices aren't being heard, and the extent to which they're being affected by the pandemic really needs to be considered.

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[kiwiInDisguise]

As a paramedic, I have worked along side these nurses. They are the backbone of the NHS, they work harder and are more competent than any other group, shame on us if we are treating them differently. They deserve better, we deserve better.

[Notveryimpressed]

I salute them. A large number of Filipinos treated me during my last hospital stay.

[kgm]

God Bless Filipino's working tirelessly in the UK.

[msbee-xjni]

Thank you so much Filipino NHS and social care workers. I salute you. It is about time they are recognised and treated fairly and respectfully. Filipinos are so dedicated and so professional in their jobs. So much bullying in he NHS and young Filipinos worked so hard until they fall ill themselves. Shame on this government for letting NHS workers work under dangerous conditions and thank you channel 4 for recognising Filipinos' hard work. It's about time.

[joep]

Unfortunately the UK doesn’t appreciate us. I was born in London to Filipino nurses but we get constantly told to go back home and that we are not welcome here by English people. That doesn’t stop us helping and trying to save their lives especially during the pandemic. My father was punched by a English man because he thought my father was Chinese and told he was the reason for COVID...my father reported to his nursing duties the following day. My parents never complain and work tirelessly. It breaks my heart that we get treated like second class citizens by those who we are helping

[juliecrawford]

Filipino nurses looking after mum at the moment, with kindness, good humour and sooo hard working. I Hope they have success with their campaign. And get the appreciation they deserve. So sad to see the young nurses who died.

[andybee]

Filipino's are the kindest, gentlest and strongest of nations with such positive perspective on life. We really must cherish and be grateful and thankful for these wonderful people, I know a few filipino workers and they always have a smile and a laugh about things so this makes me feel really sad.

[snezdimi]

I used to work in NHS hospital. As a eastern European I witnessed a lot of bullying going on. Foreigners are sent to the most difficult and dangerous places. Management is supporting that. I left after 10 years of frustration.

[martycrow]

Thank you for covering this little recognised group. They have given so much over many years, mostly in poorly paid, hard and dangerous jobs.

[egyptianlotus]

Filipino nurses are very good and dedicated .

[thudor]

This is sad. I'm in the U.S. and Filipina nurses got me through my bouts with bacterial meningitis in 2018 and covid in 2020! They're all angels!!

[nileniale]

They deserve recognition for their work and it's beyond ridiculous that we continue to use the absurdly broad "Asian" category for official statistics (or else people can choose between "Chinese" or simply "Other"). Asia is a massive continent with a multitude of nations and ethnicities. Many of these groups have diasporas in the UK. Without this data, it's impossible to understand the true impact the pandemic has had on certain communities in particular.

I'm also very cautious to talk about them as being more hardworking than others, perpetuating model minority stereotypes. Not being disproportionately exposed to the virus shouldn't depend on someone's work ethic.

[renban]

The Philippines was open to lifting the cap on health workers' overseas deployment in exchange for vaccines from Britain and Germany, which it would use to inoculate outbound workers and hundreds of thousands of Filipino repatriates.

[msbee-xjni]

it's about time that the Filipino community especially in the NHS and other social care roles are acknowledged, heard, represented, and recogonised for the good work that they do! Well done Channel 4!

[TomNook.]

A lot of Filipinos and other east Asians are suffering from COVID related racism, for "looking" like Chinese...not that that's acceptable either

[Gareths-Travels]

Philippines people are some of the hardest working people there are

[metaldetecting]

We need more Philippines nurses in uk please God bless them

[izzyolim]

One of my aunts has been a healthcare support worker for many years at Heath Hospital in cardiff
Another of my aunts who recently decided to retire mostly due to covid concerns worked in catering at heath hospital in cardiff.
They are portuguese, Most of their coworkers are filipino and honestly are a god send. Not to be rude but honestly 'foreigners' work much harder than most they understand what they have to do and work hard to support their families too. God bless the NHS

[TechNomadUK]

Correction, the filipinos represent the second (not third) of the overall foreign nurses here in the UK. I believe in more than 90% of this report. There will always be an unconscious bias (or subtle racism) in not just the NHS but in other institutions. And this issue is nothing new. With the proposed 1% pay hike this is juts a nail in the coffin in recognising not just foreign nurses working here but in ALL nurses who work tirelessly all throughout this pandemic. We need both recognition in the filipino community's contribution and an inflation-busting pay rise NOW.

[zzzzzsleeping]

Not all English people are racist -- anywhere you go there are racial tensions & discrimination. I believed the British people and their government recognizes the hard work of Filipino nurses. They are doing the best they can to make the Filipino a part of their community. This can happen in any corner of the world. No one is safe on discrimination --- UNFORTUNATELY!