A Greater Manchester hospital's chief nurse has urged patients to stay away from A&E during the upcoming nurses strike unless it's a 'life or limb-threatening emergency'. Nurses at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are taking part in the nationwide walk-out on Wednesday and Thursday.
Bosses at the trust say they will focus on 'essential' services such as A&E, maternity, emergency theatres, intensive care, chemotherapy and dialysis, during the strike, but warned other services such as the urgent treatment centres will be affected.
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The UTC at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary will open from 8pm to 1am on both strike days, but the UTC at Leigh Infirmary will be closed.
Chief nurse, Rabina Tindale, said: "We know that this action is against the Government, not against WWL, and as a trust, we fully respect the rights of union members to take part in industrial action recommended by their trade union. WWL’s tried and tested plans are in place to manage any disruption, and patient safety, as always, will continue to remain our top priority.
"We are working with our partner organisations within the Wigan borough and Greater Manchester to ensure the least amount of disruption to our services as possible, but we must ask the public for their help once more, by choosing the most appropriate services available to them, and by avoiding our Emergency Department in Wigan unless it is for a life or limb-threatening emergency."
Patients with appointments on strike days are asked to attend as normal, unless advised not to do so.
Nurses from 55 NHS trusts across England are taking part in the two-day strike called by the Royal College of Nursing. The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, though it has said it will accept a lower offer.
Inflation was running at 7.5% when it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March. But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September.
Most hospitals in Greater Manchester will be unaffected, but nurses at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh, The Christie and Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust are taking part in the industrial action.
Further strikes have also been announced on February 6 and 7. Speaking yesterday RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said: "It is with a heavy heart that nursing staff are striking this week and again in three weeks. Rather than negotiate, Rishi Sunak has chosen strike action again. We are doing this in a desperate bid to get him and ministers to rescue the NHS. The only credible solution is to address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs – patient care is suffering like never before.
"My olive branch to Government – asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations – is still there. They should grab it."
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