Thousands of nurses - including many across Greater Manchester - have walked out today for what are among the first strikes in the Royal College of Nursing's 106-year history.
Now, one nurse has shared a heartfelt personal message to the public and government, explaining why she is joining the picket line. Charlotte Barker, a staff nurse at an endoscopy unit in Leigh, working for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, says NHS staff like her can no longer provide safe care as underfunding and understaffing has been chronic for years.
Charlotte has shared with the Manchester Evening News why she is joining the historic strikes. She paints a picture of dwindling staff struggling to make ends meet amid an enduring pay row with the government, unable to help patients who are suffering the consequences of declining care standards.
