A PETITION started by a Weymouth man which calls for nurses to receive a pay rise has reached over 100,000 signatures.

The petition was started by Steve Moody in May but really began to gain traction following the government announcement in July of wage increases for many in the public sector, which did not include nurses.

The petition had 12,000 signatures prior to the announcement quickly rose by over 90,000 in a week after the wage increases were revealed. The petition currently has 122,649 signatures.

NHS staff are in the final year of a three year deal and due a pay rise next April, however many are calling for the government to bring it forward by a year as a reward for their hard work on the frontlines in the battle against coronavirus.

This has led to unrest in the industry with hundred of NHS staff marching on Downing street to protest their lack of inclusion in the public sector pay rises.

Mr Moody said: “I've always been passionate about the NHS since myself and my family have had exemplary care over the year from nursing staff. I think that anything we can do to support them and exert pressure on the government is a positive thing.

“I think they felt with the announcement with many of the other public sector workers getting pay rises that they should have at least been given something. To leave out nurses who have probably been the most important frontline service we have had in this situation is pretty appalling.”

Mr Moody has two daughters in the NHS system, one newly qualified nurse who opted in to assist NHS staff during the pandemic as a student nurse in her third year and the other a student nurse in her first year.

Mr Moody continued: “I'm completely taken aback by the amount of support the petition has had. I'm pretty staggered that a petition can go up by around 90,000 signatures in just one week.

“The idea is to raise awareness to have it debated in parliament, nothing may come of it but they need to at least consider it for debate.

“I really want it to keep growing as they can't ignore a petition of that size.”

The petition can be found at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/316307