THE government could face legal action for excluding thousands of outsourced health staff from a one-off bonus payment for working under the pressure of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bonus was part of a pay deal for more than a million NHS staff in England this year, but the agreement does not cover some 20,000 outsourced workers such as community nurses and physiotherapists.

Social Enterprise UK, an industry body representing more than 10,000 of those workers, described the decision as an “injustice.”

Chief executive Peter Holbrook told the BBC that the body had started the process of applying for a judicial review, as it believed the arrangement to be “completely unfair.”

He said social enterprises were a “crucial part of the NHS family,” employing thousands of staff and reinvesting profits in communities.

Physiotherapist Julie Tollit, who works in homes, NHS hospitals and clinics in Surrey, said she had felt “completely demoralised” when told she would not receive one of the payments of between £1,655 and £3,789.

She told the BBC that she was employed on the same terms and conditions as those doing the same job directly for the NHS.

“We worked tirelessly,” she added. “Apparently, my work doesn’t count. Frankly, it’s a slap in the face.”

A government spokesman said that “we hugely value the work of all our healthcare staff” and added that the government was “considering its position” on non-NHS staff payments.

The government announced a 5 per cent wage rise for more than a million NHS staff in England earlier this year.

Ministers claimed that it had been agreed during negotiations that outsourced staff would not receive the bonus.

Separate pay deals were made for staff working in the NHS in Wales and Scotland.