Nurses at the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are scheduled to take part in strike action on Thursday, 15 December as a part of a nationwide strike called by the Royal College of Nursing
Reports suggest that up to 10,000 nursing staff will be striking on 15 and 20 December throughout the UK, over a dispute on pay and patient safety. The nurses call for over 19% pay rise, which the Government terms as unaffordable.
The strikes come after talks with Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, failed to reach an outcome.
As per a BBC report, The Department of Health said Mr Barclay had “again listened to the RCN’s position on pay and reiterated the government has agreed to the recommendations of the independent pay review body”.
In terms of the effect on patients, the RCN in its ‘Industry Action Handbook’ states that, the strikes are not likely to affect any “emergency intervention for the preservation of life or the prevention of permanent disability.” This means while urgent care will go on as normal, routine check-ups and non-urgent appointments might be postponed to the next date.
Speaking to Asian Standard, the RCN officials said that “We will obviously continue emergency and life preserving care, but unfortunately non-emergency services will be impacted as the nurses will be striking, for which we are really sorry”
Sarah Dodsworth, Regional Director for the Yorkshire and Humber region of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said:
“Anger has become action and our members are saying enough is enough. This is a defining moment in our history, and our fight will continue through strike action and beyond for as long as it takes to win justice for the nursing profession and our patients.
“Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.
“Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this. While we plan our strike action, next week’s budget is the UK government’s opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point.
“This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low and we have strong public backing for our campaign to raise them. This winter, we are asking the public to show nursing staff you are with us.”
“We’re calling for a pay rise of 5% above RPI inflation to overcome those real-term pay cuts, support nursing staff through the cost-of-living crisis and recognise their safety critical skills.
“Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve.”
