MANY owe hospital staff a debt of gratitude for their work. But those who choose to work for the NHS should not find themselves in the red due to the cost of living.

Oxford is an expensive place to live and work, and demand for housing is only making the situation work.

The lack of affordable housing, coupled with stagnation in wages compared to inflation, makes the picture only bleaker.

It is no wonder that nurses and other key staff are leaving the county, unable to make ends meet.

What is left is a skills vacuum as those struggling decide enough is enough and new workers are put off by the rising rents.

Those who do decide to stay must look further afield to find somewhere to stay, adding even more traffic on our already over-burdened roads.

A depleted, over-stressed and under-paid workforce is not good for the NHS.

Morale will suffer and the vicious cycle will turn, driving even more away when even more are needed.

While not the complete solution, a cost of living supplement would no doubt help those finding it tough to afford to live and work here. The lack of foresight in scrapping this is clear for all to see.

But there are other areas which can help too. Better subsidised travel would encourage more onto public transport and reduce the impact on the county’s roads.

And more needs to be done to address the chronic lack of housing in the city.

With the city filling up, the council must find an agreement with its district neighbours to find a solution and get building, or our health service will continue to suffer.