A NURSE said this week that wages are now so poor in the NHS she could get as much cleaning houses.

Nichola Connolly, a specialist psychiatrist nurse, told the Bucks Free Press Election Forum on Tuesday night that she is returning to work in the health service but was shocked by the pay.

The 42-year-old, who is from Marlow, said: "I've been offered £8.72 an hour. That's appalling and an insult.

"We want to work hard and it is wonderful but I can get £8 per hour to clean houses."

She said pay was so poor it was damaging morale among nurses leaving the NHS in a poor state.

More than 150 people attended the forum, chaired by BBC Radio Four presenter John Waite at which all the candidates fighting to become Wycombe MP, except for an independent, spoke and answered questions from the audience.

Health dominated the discussion, including recent problems at Wycombe Hospital A&E where patients have had to endure long waits, often for minor work.

Mrs Connolly said she was only returning to the NHS because it was a vocation and the money earned was not important.

And she added that successive governments had 'taken advantage' of nurses.

The Tory's prospective parliamentary candidate for Wycombe, Paul Goodman, said: "She is describing accurately what it was like under us and under the present Government. I do not think the taxpayer will pay so we need to get more independent money."

His Labour opponent Chauhdry Shafique admitted the wage was poor but said that money was going into the NHS which would eventually lead to an increase in nurses' pay.

He added the main problem was not enough training places for nurses, due to closures under Conservative Governments.

Mr Shafique said: "We are victims of our own economic success. The very fact that we are more economically successful means many more people can work at greater rates of pay.

But he added: "You would be lucky to find a cleaning job for £8 an hour."

Mr Goodman denied accusations that his party was preparing to privatise the NHS by stealth.

Lib Dem candidate Dee Tomlin said she her party had pledged a Royal Commission to look at pay and conditions for nurses.

She also slammed the amount of money being spent that could go on nurses' pay.

Mrs Tomlin said: "£35 million has been spent on consultancy.The huge amount of money spent of election posters, taking pot shots at each other is really shocking."

John Laker, Green Party candidate and Christopher Cooke, UK Independence Party, both said nurses deserved better, with Mr Cooke calling for the return of matrons.

Mrs Connolly said afterwards that she had been impressed by what the Liberal Democrat candidate had said and would consider voting for them.

The forum dealt with issues from Europe to farming, why people are apathetic about elections and what the candidates would do if they were hit with an egg like deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Green candidate John Laker provoked the biggest laugh of the evening by saying he would recycle it and serve it up as an omelette.