Patients already facing record waiting lists are now likely to see procedures and appointments delayed or cancelled. This is to be the first national strike in the history of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). A union source said this weekend: “This will lead to the majority of services being axed, and picketing across the country.” The prospect of nurses across the NHS going on strike over pay will be a huge challenge for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, who are facing a budget hole in the nation’s finances of up to £50bn. It will also be a major test of the government’s resolve on pay curbs as it faces threats of public sector strikes in the face of the highest inflation since the 1980s. Union officials say that since the Conservatives took power in 2010, the pay of some experienced nurses has fallen by 20% in real terms. They had asked for a 5% fee plus inflation – a total of about 15%. However, the government said the average basic annual pay for nurses will rise from around £35,600 to around £37,000 from March 2022, an increase of just 4%. NHS bosses will be worried that a national strike by nurses will worsen the crisis in the country’s hospitals. Figures published in October revealed that a record 7 million people were waiting for hospital treatment in England at the end of August. More than 300,000 members of the RCN, Britain’s largest nurses’ union, voted in strike action – the biggest in the union’s history. According to RCN protocols for strikes, any “life sustaining” care is maintained. Life-sustaining services include emergency interventions, maintenance of therapeutic services and emergency diagnostic procedures. This would mean that nurses in intensive care units and A&E departments would be excluded from participation. The RCN says ministers have failed to tackle a workforce crisis and that “the exploitation of nursing staff can no longer be tolerated”. An analysis by the Nuffield Trust published earlier this year found that 40,365 nurses left the NHS in the year to June 2022 – equivalent to one in nine. NHS England has launched a drive to recruit tens of thousands of nurses to help fill a record number of vacancies. There are more than 46,800 nursing, midwifery and health visiting vacancies in the NHS in England alone. Counting of RCN ballots continues, but officials expect to announce soon that a majority of nurses in some of the UK’s major health trusts and organizations have voted to strike. Pat Cullen, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN, said: “Patients are at great risk when there are not enough nurses. Huge numbers of staff – both experienced and younger recruits – decide they cannot see a future in a nursing profession that is neither valued nor treated fairly. “Our strike action will be for both patients and nurses – we have their support for this. As we take action, politicians in every part of the UK will be called upon to support their nursing staff and understand the power of public support.” Nurses working in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been voted. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Unison is also polling 350,000 NHS workers, including porters, nurses, paramedics and cleaners, on strike action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Unison’s polls close later this month. Junior doctors have also voted on a ballot in January. The polls, which closed on Wednesday, were held locally at each employer. This means officials will be able to authorize strike action at any NHS employer that exceeds the ballot thresholds. In England, Scotland and Wales, the law states that there must be at least 50% participation and a majority must vote yes for the action to be legal. There is separate legislation in Northern Ireland. For years, the RCN’s rules did not support industrial action. These were changed in 1995 to allow strike action as long as it was not detrimental to the interests of patients. If members back the general strike, it will be the first strike by the RCN in England, Wales and Scotland. Members in Northern Ireland staged strike action for the first time in 2019-2020 over pay and staffing levels. The RCN has not provided any information on the proposed action, but officials say strikes are very likely to take place before Christmas in the event of a yes vote. He advised his members to vote in favor of the strike. NHS England wrote to NHS trusts and integrated care boards last week about possible action. He said: “The NHS’s task now is to be prepared for any potential industrial action so that there is minimal disruption to patient care and emergency services can continue to operate as normal.”
