Luisa Zissman rages over ‘irresponsible’ NHS strikes and says staff knew pay rate when they joined-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro

Luisa Zissman says staff should not have joined the NHS if they wanted to make good money (Picture: Getty)

Luisa Zissman has branded NHS workers’ irresponsible’ and ‘cruel’ for planning to strike over pay and working conditions.

The Celebrity Big Brother star, who is married to multi-millionaire businessman Andrew Collins, said staff should not have joined the NHS if they wanted to make money.

She added that she would never have become a nurse or joined the NHS as the money isn’t good enough and because she didn’t give ‘enough of a s***.’

It comes after the announcement by unions that thousands of ambulance workers and other NHS staff are set to strike days before Christmas, while Royal College of Nursing members are also preparing to strike in parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The walkouts will involve paramedics as well as control room staff and support workers, with the military on standby to help out.

Speaking on her LuAnna podcast to pal Anna Williamson, Luisa, who has private healthcare, said NHS staff should quit and ‘do something else’ rather than strike as they knew what they were getting into when they entered the profession.

The reality star ranted about the strikes on her LuAnna podcast with co-host Anna Williamson (Picture: Getty Images)

‘In this industry it’s completely irresponsible to strike and put people’s lives at risk, it’s unacceptable,’ she raged.

‘You have a child that’s waiting for a transplant and that kid doesn’t get that heart because of some f****** jumped-up t***s. ‘

The coordinated walkout by the three main ambulance unions, will affect non-life threatening calls only, but could mean people who have had trips and falls are not being responded to.

Under trade union rules, life-preserving care has to be provided so the two highest category calls – covering everything from heart attacks and strokes to major trauma – will still be responded to.

‘When you went into that profession you haven’t gone in blind, you know what the pay is. So don’t go into it then!’

Luisa, married to millionaire businessman, says NHS staff should simply be paid more but should not strike (Picture: Getty Images for Bare by Vogue Williams)

She advised that people should stop going into the profession and with a lack of staff, there’ll be a ‘recruitment drive’ and wages will go up.

There is already a major staffing crisis within the NHS, with a 2022 report declaring patient safety is repeatedly put at risk by persistent understaffing, with the NHS short of 12,000 hospital doctors and more than 50,000 nurses and midwives.

‘If you’re not happy with the pay that job offers go and do a different f*****g job from the offset, don’t get trained by the NHS and have them pay for all of your training and education – and I know that gets paid back over time like every other student loan gets paid back.’

‘Don’t do it!’ she yelled. ‘I wouldn’t do that job because I wouldn’t be happy to work for that amount. I wouldn’t go into that job in the first place so don’t f*****g do it, you know what the pay is.’

Luisa then considered ‘maybe I don’t know enough about it,’ before adding: ‘It just annoys me, people striking in this type of career, I think it’s completely irresponsible, cruel and goes against everything they should do in that industry,.’

A damning report was released this year warning patient’s lives were being put in danger due to staffing shortages (Picture: PA)

‘You go into it because you really care I would think, not because of the money. I wouldn’t do it because A, the money’s not enough for me and B, I don’t give a s*** enough.’

She added that she knows NHS staff have ‘huge demands’ on them and work really long hours, and she ‘doesn’t know’ how much they’re paid, but said if their workload increases because of staffing issues, they ‘should be paid more.’

Luisa also said nurses ‘shouldn’t be allowed to be doing 14-hour days,’ and said ‘I support they should be paid more if they’re working more, and if that’s happening they shouldn’t need to strike for a pay rise they should just get a pay rise.’

She then considered: ‘What else do they do I suppose except strike? I just think it’s really bad to strike.’

‘But they need to increase the salaries,’ she complained, only to be told by her co-presenter that is why they are planning to strike.

‘They deserve more pay. What they do is life-saving, they have one of the most important jobs in the country…. but the whole of the NHS needs an overhaul.’

The military could be called in to assist during the strikes, as happened during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic (Picture: Getty Images)

The reality star went on: ‘I just think it’s terrible going on strike in a job like that and all those poor people that will suffer, innocent sick people… but they need to raise wages to attract more people.

She then came up with an idea where instead of midwives doing two 12-hour shifts, ‘they should do three eight-hour shifts on a better wage.’

The escalation of the pay row raging across the NHS comes after the government failed to commit to formal negotiations with the trade union.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea said: ‘The decision to take action and lose a day’s pay is always a tough call. It’s especially challenging for those whose jobs involve caring and saving lives.

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‘But thousands of ambulance staff and their NHS colleagues know delays won’t lessen, nor waiting times reduce, until the government acts on wages. That’s why they’ve taken the difficult decision to strike.’

She added that, despite the strikes, patients will ‘always come first’ and emergency cover will be available.

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