Bristol Health and Care Workers Solidarity Fund

Who are you?

Bristol Care Workers Network is a grassroots union for health and care workers in Bristol. We fight for workers’ rights in the here and now, and a better care system in the future.

What is the solidarity fund?

We believe that corona virus is a deeply political issue; precarious workers will be hugely affected by self-isolation without sick pay, and by the economic impact on the industries in which we work. Care workers will be doubly disadvantaged by this, as on top of the issues faced by all precarious workers, we are also more likely to be in contact with infected people through our work. Government measures to ensure sick pay and prevent poverty for precarious workers have been utterly inadequate, and time and again this government has prioritised the needs of the business class over the needs of workers.

Despite the failures from Government, the community response to COVID-19 has been overwhelming. We know that the only way to protect ourselves is to stick together and support each other.

This fundraiser is for health and social care workers who are struggling financially because of COVID 19. If you’re isolating and can’t get sick pay, if you’re on a zero hours contract and your clients aren’t receiving care, if you're a PA, therapist, or another self employed care worker, or you’re a care worker in some other financial hardship then we’ll try to help you.

How does it work?

If you work in health or care and you are struggling financiually because of COVID 19, then email us at [email redacted]. Please write “solidarity fund” in the subject line of the email. Tell us about your situation in the body of the email. Tell us what you do for work and why your income has been affected by COVID 19. Tell us your bank account number, sort code and your name as it is on your bank account. If you meet our criteria then we will transfer you money. It’s that simple! We may also send finance and benefits advice if we think it would be useful.

How much can I expect?

Right now, we are only giving out a fixed rate of £30 per applicant. We know this is nowhere near enough to cover most people’s needs, but realistically it is all we can offer without making unrealistic promises. We will review this regularly. If the fundraiser does better than expected, we may increase this amount. Please only apply once.

What else can I do?

If you’re reading this, and you want to make a real, direct, positive impact in your city, then consider donating to us. A little goes a long way! Equally, please please please PLEASE share this fundraiser on your social media and tell your your friends. More shares=more money.

If you are struggling and need support, or want to volunteer your time and skills, we recommend using the Bristol Community Care-COVID 19 Mutual Aid facebook group. If you want to get involved in the distribution of supplies and support in your area, then join this facebook group .

If you live outside of Bristol, please check out this list of other mutual aid organisations around the country .









Please note- the £5000 target is an arbitrary number. We’ll keep fundraising as long as there is a need for it. If you donated to our COVID 19 mutual aid  fundraiser, your money has automatically gone into the Health and Care Workers Solidarity Fund. If you would prefer to have your donation refunded, please email us.