Clapping for the NHS during the Covid pandemic may have been 'dangerous' says the health ombudsman

• Clapping for the NHS during the Covid pandemic may have been “dangerous” says health obundsman.
• Rebecca Hilsenrath, has said that: “no organisation should be beyond constructive criticism”.
• During the first lockdown of the Covid pandemic people across the UK clapped for the NHS on Thursday evenings.

Clapping for the NHS during Covid may have been “dangerous” the health service ombudsman has said, because, “no organisation can be a national religion”.

In an interview with The Telegraph, Rebecca Hilsenrath, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman said: “no organisation should be beyond constructive criticism”.

The health service ombudsman commented: “There is an argument I have heard that clapping for the NHS during the pandemic was quite a dangerous thing to do.” Continuing: “because no organisation can be a national religion, and no organisation should be beyond constructive criticism. I don’t think that it is helpful for any organisation to be treated as religion.”

The comments come as the NHS is struck by rising complaints, with evidence submitted to an investigation into the NHS led by Professor Lord Darzi revealing that out of 27,479 complaints about the NHS in England to the ombudsman between 2023 to 2024 two in three were partly upheld.

Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson told Sky News: “The NHS is broken but we are determined to get it back on its feet so it can be there for all of us when we need it.

“We will be honest about the challenges facing the health service and will work to tackle them. The independent investigation into the NHS by Lord Darzi is a step towards identifying and solving these problems as we create an NHS fit for the future.”

Why did we clap for the NHS?

Millions of people across the UK showed their support for frontline workers during the Covid pandemic by taking part in Clapping for Carers.

What started as a one-off show of support initiated by Annemarie Plas, who had witnessed similar clapping in the Netherlands, it turned into a weekly event, with people taking to their doorsteps every Thursday evening at 8pm. It lasted for 10 weeks in 2020, with an attempted revival in 2021 falling short.

Clapping for Carers later faced criticism, with some suggesting that NHS staff needed more funding instead of weekly applause.

Reported by Nursing Times in January 2021, nurses said they did not want the weekly applause to return. One nurse said: “As an NHS nurse, I do not want to be clapped for. All I want is for people to stick to the guidelines and for the government to raise the wages for nurses.” Another explained that they had agreed with the clapping in the first lockdown, but “cannot feel the same way this time round”.

In January 2021, now Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, weighed into the debate, stating on X: “Once again we took to our doorsteps to #ClapForOurCarers. But clapping isn't enough. They need to be paid properly and given the respect they deserve.”

The last clap for carers was held on May 28, 2020, with plans to reignite the campaign in 2021 falling short. A YouGov survey of 1,164 adults conducted at the end of May 2020 found that 69% had taken part in the Thursday night clapping, however nearly half (44%), thought it had become politicised.

Did you clap for the NHS, what do you think about the comments about clapping for the NHS? Share your opinion in the comment section below.