TWO campaigners who started a petition calling for a pay rise for NHS staff are celebrating as the issue will be debated in Parliament.

Amy Wright, from Cleator Moor, got behind the petition to see a pay rise granted to staff at the West Cumberland Hospital in Whitehaven.

She feels that the efforts of nurses like her friend, who are serving on the frontline in the fight against coronavirus, are being insufficiently rewarded.

She joined forces with Shane Longton, of Preston in Lancashire, who had started the "Increase pay for NHS healthcare workers and recognise their work" petition.

It calls on the Government to review and increase the pay for healthcare workers to "recognise the work that they do".

The petition - which has now got more than 160,000 signatures - has had support from the likes of Stone Roses songwriter Andy Hearn and Sale Sharks rugby star James Flynn.

Passing the 100,000 signatures milestone means the Petitions Committee had to decide whether the petition should be debated in the House of Commons.

On Thursday, Shane received an email from the committee informing him that his petition would be debated on Thursday (June 25).

Passing the 100,000 signatures milestone means Parliament will consider the cause for a future debate.

"I'm really, really surprised it's been chosen (for a debate)," explained Shane.

"We've had a lot of press and I've done various radio interviews, Instagram lives and so on, but I felt like the NHS had been forgotten, not by everyone.

"People don't seem to be taking as much notice, maybe it's because the clapping has stopped.

"I am going to work on a ward with Covid, seeing patients die without their family.

"We are still going to work risking our lives."

Shane says he's informed his Cumbrian helper about the debate.

"Amy is very excited, very happy. She is on the same page as me."

Shane says he's hoping to meet Amy in person when lockdown restrictions are eased.

A Government response posted to the petition on May 4 said: “NHS staff are our greatest asset. In these most difficult of times and with ever increasing pressures on the NHS, they work incredibly hard, always putting patients first and keeping them safe whilst providing the high-quality care we all expect.

“As part of our ambition to make the NHS the best employer in the world, the Department of Health and Social Care has reached multi-year pay and contract reform agreements with trade unions across the NHS workforce."

Some final year student nurses have been deployed to hospitals on temporary contracts to fight the coronavirus outbreak and meet the staffing demand, and the News & Star has been backing calls for tuition fees to be scrapped.

To sign Amy and Shane's petition for increased pay for NHS healthcare workers, go to https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300073?fbclid=IwAR0vZ3Y1Ykx6MnkXxy2qAjpmmLw5_pkm2EClSK-sUv1dLJ0AIH0QGCYH9ho.

To support our call to waive tuition fees for final year student nurses, go to www.change.org/p/government-fair-deal-for-students-nurses-paramedics-and-midwives-on-front-line-of-coronavirus-fight?recruiter=1086928202&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive&recruited_by_id=9d14f2a0-9084-11ea-aef8-f56739770e12