Tens of thousands of nurses will strike across England, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday, causing major disruption to services in the first such action in the history of the NHS.
The nurses will refuse to work in hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the three countries from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., on the first of two days off scheduled for their wage claim.
Their action has resulted in the cancellation of a large number of outpatient appointments and operations. Urgent and life-saving services will be fully staffed, but many non-urgent services will operate with only a much smaller number of nurses who are usually on duty on Christmas Day or overnight.
Less sick patients attending A&E have been told to expect to wait even longer than usual.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are going on strike in an effort to win a 5% above-inflation pay rise for this year, and in protest at the government’s decision to give them a pay rise at least £1,400, which is the equivalent of an increase of around 4%.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen has stressed that nurses do not want to strike but feel forced to because, with rising inflation, the government’s pay offer amounts to a real cut in their wages after a decade in which the value of the salary of experienced nurses has already fallen by 20%.
“Nurses don’t like that,” she said. “We act with a very heavy heart. It has been a difficult decision for hundreds of thousands who are starting to take their jobs back from tomorrow in an effort to be heard, recognized and valued.
“It’s a tragic first for nursing, the RCN and the NHS. Nursing staff on picket lines is a sign of failure on the part of governments.”
Cullen has been embroiled in a heated war of words with health secretary Steve Barclay over his refusal to take part in discussions with the RCN over pay, despite the union’s willingness to compromise on what ministers have called a demand “unreasonable and unattainable”.
The RCN took action ahead of a strike and three days off in Northern Ireland at the end of 2019, in a dispute over pay and safe staffing levels. This is the first time, however, that they have taken coordinated action across the NHS. They will go on strike again on December 20.
Nurses will not withdraw their jobs in Scotland. RCN members there will vote until next Monday on whether to accept a “best and final” offer from Nicola Sturgeon’s government, which is worth £2,205 or a 7.5% rise.
The RCN has bowed to pressure from NHS leaders in recent days and agreed to protect patient safety by exempting additional areas of care in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from strike action, including units children’s A&E, emergency cancer services and some forms of mental health care. .
“The RCN has agreed that all emergency departments and urgent care units affected by industrial action should be staffed at least at Christmas Day levels,” said Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents NHS bodies in England and Wales.
“But with such high demand from patients, people arriving at A&E with more minor ailments should unfortunately expect to have to wait longer.
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“The NHS will make every effort to ensure this does not happen, but patient safety and maintaining safe staffing levels in the most critical services must be the number one priority.”
The Welsh Government said NHS care would be “significantly affected” and services were likely to be similar to those normally provided on bank holidays. Non-urgent or routine appointments are likely to be postponed, he said, although health boards hope to offer patients new dates as soon as they can.
Voicing his support for striking nurses, Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan underlined the Labor government’s belief that “all public sector workers should be fairly rewarded for the important work they do”.
He said: “The strikes starting today will inevitably have a significant impact on NHS services. But we recognize the strength of feeling among staff, which reflects the difficult decision to vote for industrial action.”
Mr Barclay said: “Our nurses are incredibly dedicated to their work and it is deeply unfortunate that some members of the union are going ahead with strike action.”
Keeping patients safe was his top priority and arrangements had been made to ensure that, he said, but “I am concerned about the risk that strikes pose to patients”.