Greater Manchester is bracing itself for the worst week of NHS strikes so far, a health chief has warned, as ambulance staff and nurses are set to stage same-day walkouts.
NHS staff across professions continue with industrial action over pay, working conditions and what they say are dangerous staffing levels. Unions are urging the government to come up with an attractive pay offer to compensate current staff for hours of overtime and unsociable shifts, as well as encouraging new starters to fill the empty posts in a chronically understaffed service.
England’s top doctor has warned next week’s action could be the most disruptive yet as the NHS faces the biggest round of industrial action in its history. Some 73 NHS hospital trusts will be affected in England on Monday and Tuesday, ambulance workers will be striking on both Monday and Friday across different parts of the country, and physiotherapists will strike on Thursday.
