A former nurse whose cancer operation was cancelled because of the nurses ’ strike says she will join the picket line on Tuesday to support her ex-colleagues.
Bethann Siviter, who was an NHS consultant and community nurse for 16 years, says the Government has made it “impossible for nurses to survive”.
Bethann, 59, of Halesowen, West Mids, was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour in 2019. She was told her op was scrapped just 20 minutes before she was due to head to hospital.
She says: “Our whole nation depends on the nurses getting their point across. The Government is letting us down because nurses are the silent backbone of the NHS.
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“I want to show that I know what they are doing is trying to take care of everyone by taking care of themselves. I’m going to put up a sign at the picket line that says: ‘I’m a patient and I support you’.”
Bethann, who wrote the Royal College of Nursing’s student handbook, now faces a worrying 8-12-week wait for intestinal surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.
But her support for the nurses is unwavering. She adds: “Quality of life is very difficult and the pain is horrible. I desperately wish I could have my operation, but what happened to me will happen to everyone every day unless the Government decides to truly support the NHS.”
University Hospitals Birmingham said: “We sincerely regret that as a result of industrial action, and in the interest of patient safety, we had to reschedule some procedures.”
