NEARLY two-thirds of nurses and healthcare workers are having to choose between food and fuel to combat rising energy bills, a shocking survey published today reveals.

And 14 per cent of the 1,000 NHS staff who responded have started using foodbanks, while 30 per cent said they know colleagues who have been forced to use them amid plummeting take-home pay and spiralling inflation.

The study, conducted by online firm Florence, which uses technology to help tackle the shortage of healthcare staff globally, comes after the Royal College of Nursing announced its first ever national strike following more than a decade of Tory austerity. 

The poll shows that growing financial pressure is adding to the stress, worry and anxiety felt by the workforce, with about eight in 10 saying the deteriorating situation is having a negative impact on their mental health.

As a result, just over half have been forced to take time off to recover from stress and burnout and 35 per cent have already seen a significant increase in mental health-related staff absences, according to Florence.

The vast majority — 79 per cent — think the rising cost of living will see the NHS face “intolerable pressure,” leading 53 per cent to demand the government produce “long-term concrete plans” to safeguard the service’s future.

Florence chief nurse Fiona Millington said: “Nurses and carers, like every other profession, are finding themselves in a situation where it’s more difficult to make ends meet.

“It’s a really difficult situation but sadly it’s the reality we’re facing — a government-implemented pay rise can not come quickly enough.”