Nottingham nurses began their second day of strike action as they fight for fair pay and better conditions for staff. Dozens of nurses returned to the picket lines on Tuesday, December 20, outside Queen's Medical Centre for a day of action organised by the Royal College of Nursing.
Many strikers could be seen at the roadside as early as 7am, with many more joining throughout the day. The group were chanting to reiterate their key messages of wanting better pay, and also for more to be done to recruit and retain staff in the profession.
One of their key chants was, "All we want for Christmas is a fair pay rise, to make our patients safe." In addition to nurses and other supporters holding their placards, many passing vehicles honked in support for the group.
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Regional organiser for Royal College of Nursing, Sarah Leigh McMahon, said: “This strike has been a long time coming. If you had asked our members four years ago we probably would not have got the mandate for strike action, but a lot has happened in the last four years.
"Our members have had 10 years of below inflation pay. With the pay that is being offered we can’t attract people to the profession or retain people in the profession.”
When asked if she felt the Government was listening, she said: “No, they need to come to the table and actually discuss pay.” Sarah warned strikes will continue into the new year if the Government does not act.
Fertility nurse Lorraine Peabody, 45, was one of the many nurses showing support for the strike. When asked why she was striking, Lorraine said: "Because the staffing levels on the wards are at a critical low.
"They have been bad for a long time but they are beyond a joke now. I’m not on the wards any more but I can see how my colleagues are suffering with it and they can’t carry on."
When asked if she felt the Government was listening, she said: “Not at all, they need to help us to recruit more staff.
"This is not about money in itself but the recruitment and retainment of staff.” Fellow protestor and deputy team leader in the ENT theatre, Zoe Lycett-Ransom, 49, said: "I’m just very saddened that we are having to get to this point, and I just hope the Government listens.
"We are here today to protest our pay and to get a better pay deal, but we are also here to protest staff shortages. I’m also here because I’m concerned about the future of nursing and we want people to come into the profession and have a reasonable wage for their work."
She continued: "We have agency staff in because we don’t have enough staff to do the jobs so we have to rely on an agency, which is incredibly expensive. In theatres and on the wards there are huge staff shortages, nurses are tired and they are fed up with the working conditions they are having to work in.
"I have been a nurse for 20 years and it has always been an issue when it comes to the shortage of staff. I love my job and I speak for lots of people who love their job, but we also need to support our families and have pay that’s realistic."
Zoe explained that she feels nurses "are the backbone of the NHS." She added: "We want our patients to know that when they come into the hospital to the time they leave that they are getting the best care, but we can’t give that to them if we don’t have enough staff."
When asked why he was striking, advanced clinical worker Leon Wood, 45, said: “I’m here to take the opportunity to show that we want the government to start listening to us. We want an increase in pay which will bring an increase in staff retention.
"It’s quite a hard profession to work in over the last five years and it’s only getting harder. This is a chance to share our voice for the nurses when only a small amount of people have been given the opportunity to strike.”
Ahead of the action on Tuesday, A spokesperson for NUH said: "Our focus is to maintain patient safety and our teams are working hard to ensure that we prioritise patients who require emergency treatment.
"Due to the reduction in nursing staff across our hospitals, planned surgery and outpatient appointments will be affected. We will contact you if your appointment or procedure needs to be rescheduled due to the strike action. If we have not contacted you, please attend as planned."
Health Secretary Steve Barclay added: “I hugely value the work of our NHS staff. It is disappointing some union members are going ahead with further strike action when we know the impact this has on patients.
“My number one priority remains keeping patients as safe as possible and I’ve been working closely with the NHS and across Government to protect safe staffing levels. The NHS remains open, patients should continue to come forward for emergency and urgent medical care. They should also continue to turn up to appointments unless they have been contacted by the NHS.
“The RCN’s demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic. I’m open to engaging with the unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work.”
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