NHS nurse, 44, slams Matt Hancock after her eight-year-old daughter begged her to stop working in A&E during coronavirus pandemic pleading 'I need you Mummy - I don't want you to die'

An NHS nurse has criticised Matt Hancock after her eight-year-old daughter begged her not to continue working in A&E during the coronavirus pandemic, pleading 'I need you Mummy - I don't want you to die'. 

Kate, from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, has worked in the NHS for 25 years and in February returned to a more hands-on role.

But since coronavirus hit the UK, the 44-year-old has campaigned against Public Health England's guidance during the crisis, and her daughter is concerned for her mother's safety.

NHS nurse Kate, 44, criticised Matt Hancock after her eight-year-old daughter begged her not to continue working in A&E during the coronavirus pandemic (pictured: file photo)

While Kate has been reassuring her daughter, who she described as 'a beautiful little happy child, normally', she said the reality is a different story (pictured: Kate's tweet)

Kate tweeted to Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday that her daughter had gone to bed 'sobbing and begging me not to work in A&E', adding: 'her words broke me - "Mummy I'm only 8 and I need you - I don't want you to die"'.

One Twitter user commented: 'Thank you for what you're doing. It's heartbreaking that you are faced with such a choice.'

Another said: 'I hope you get everything you need and soon.'

And while Kate has been reassuring her daughter, who she described as 'a beautiful little happy child, normally', she said the reality is a different story.

She added: 'I was so angry. How dare he (Matt Hancock) put us in this position.

'I can't even reassure her without lying that I've got enough equipment to keep me safe at work. Actually the reality is I've been going to work for weeks in a c*** plastic pinny and a basic surgical mask.

'I can't even reassure her effectively without lying that we've got everything that we need.'

A British Medical Association (BMA) survey of more than 6,000 doctors across the country said a significant amount of them remain without the protection they need to guard against Covid-19.

Kate tweeted to Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Friday that her daughter had gone to bed 'sobbing and begging me not to work in A&E' (pictured: Mr Hancock at a daily news briefing)

Meanwhile, another survey by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) found half of nurses have felt pressure to work without appropriate protective equipment during the crisis.

Kate said: 'I'm very careful to not expose my children to anything.

'However, they listen to the radio, news is out there, they see the 5pm briefing, they understand. They know they're all off school because of the massive risks of coronavirus, so it's weighing heavily on their minds anyway.

'I've stopped sharing a bed with my daughter, I considered moving out, I thought "is that the best thing?"

'I've moved downstairs into the spare room, and then when I put her to bed last night she's sobbing her little heart out.'