Dame Judi Dench criticises treatment of ‘forgotten’ NHS staff after the pandemic

The actress spoke ahead of the film release of Allelujah, which is set on a geriatric ward
Dame Judi Dench has expressed her disappointment about the treatment of striking NHS staff
Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images fo
Tina Campbell10 February 2023
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Dame Judi Dench has voiced her frustration on behalf of striking NHS staff, saying they have been forgotten following their widely-lauded efforts during the Covid pandemic.

The Oscar-winning actress, 88, will soon be seen starring alongside Jennifer Saunders and Bally Gill in Allelujah, a film adaptation of Alan Bennett’s 2018 play of the same name which is set in a geriatric ward.

Allelujah is described by The Guardian as being “most conspicuously about the NHS,” but also “it’s a film about social care: what happens when pressure on hospital beds means people are discharged too soon, to inadequate accommodation”.

Its release on March 17 comes at a poignant time for the NHS, which is marking its 75 anniversary this summer.

The film was shot in 2021 while the UK and the rest of the world were still gripped by the pandemic, NHS workers were hailed as heroes, and were clapped for each Thursday by people on their doorsteps in recognition.

While clapping was acknowledged as a nice gesture at the time, it didn’t do anything tangible to help the NHS, which was visibly on its knees and in desperate need of more money and resources.

Two years on, NHS workers have staged strikes calling for increased pay and better working conditions – the biggest strike action in the healthcare provider’s history.

While Allelujah was filming, Dench expressed her hope to The Guardian that “maybe those barriers [between medical and social care] have broken down a bit during Covid. I hope they have. So perhaps a very good thing will come out of it.”

More recently, she told the publication: “We willingly clapped on our doorsteps our appreciation for the NHS, as they were doing a remarkable job. That seems to have been a bit forgotten. And look at the position they are in now, having to strike for more money.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in