NHS nurses across the country have voted in favour of a national strike in a row over pay.
For the first time in its 106-year history the Royal College of Nursing balloted its 300,000 NHS membership and vast swathes of the country have voted to strike.
The UK-wide strike will be the first of its kind, with RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen calling it a “once in a generation chance to improve your pay and combat staff shortages” that put patients at risk.
The RCN ballot was carried out at a service level, meaning each hospital has to clear a 50% turnout threshold to be able to strike in action expected before Christmas.
Many of the biggest hospitals in England will see strikes including Guys and St Thomas in London, opposite the House of Commons
All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be included and all bar one in Wales met the relevant legal turnout threshold.
The strikes are thought to take place later this year and possibly over Christmas.
130 NHS Trusts have chosen to strike in England, 12 in Wales, 23 in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland.
The world’s largest nursing trade union and professional body will now pressure MPs to support their local striking nurses as polling shows support for the action is growing.
It is understood the picture is varied across the country and nurses at some hospitals, but not all, will take action.
The rules around the ballot means that technically strikes take place on a trust by trust basis but the College is looking at ways they could be coordinated.
It has previously made clear critical and lifesaving care will not be affected.
The Government said it has contingency plans for dealing with any industrial action by nurses amid the growing threat of widespread strikes in the NHS.
The NHS is facing a winter of discontent with a number of health unions balloting for industrial action.
Others to either ballot or plan for strike action include GMB, Unite, the Royal College of Midwives and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.
The RCN has been historically resistant to industrial action.
The last widespread NHS strike action by nurses took place in 1988 led by smaller unions but the RCN opposed it.
Maxine Wade, a nursing associate from Yorkshire, said she voted for strike action in the ballot because she feels as though patient safety will continue to be compromised if action is not taken urgently.
“The main reason we’re doing it is for patient safety because if we don’t improve the pay or conditions, we’re not going to retain nurses and what you’ll leave is an NHS in deeper crisis and a further increase in patient mortality, poor care,” she said.
“We have an ageing population – we need a robust, well-funded supportive nursing workforce to support future generations to come.
“And unless we take action now, we’re not going to have that and that could lead to the privatisation of the health service.”
She added that while she recognises that people may have concerns about nurses striking, unions and NHS trusts will work together to “minimise disruption as much as possible”.
Nurses across the UK will strike in response to a £1,400 pay rise announced by the Government - which after inflation will be a significant real terms pay cut.
This worked out at around four per cent on average while in Scotland nurses were given a five per cent rise before inflation. Both have been rejected by unions.
They fall well short of the RPI rate of inflation currently at 12.6 per cent and unions are demanding an above inflation rise.
It comes after YouGov polling showed 65 per cent of Brits support nurses going on strike - up from 60 per cent three months ago.
The winter strike will mean parts of the NHS running a Bank Holiday service with elective procedures cancelled.
The RCN ballot was carried out at a hospital level, meaning each trust has to clear a 50 per cent turnout threshold.
And if that is not met, strike action will not take place at that hospital.
The Government's Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “We are all hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff, including nurses, and deeply regret that some union members have voted for industrial action.
“These are challenging times, which is why we accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year.
"This is on top of a three per cent pay increase last year when public sector pay was frozen and wider government support with the cost of living.
“Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”
List of NHS trusts affected
East Midlands
East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB (Joined Up Care Derbyshire)
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Eastern
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
NHS Mid and South Essex ICB
NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB
London
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
NHS North Central London ICB
NHS South West London ICB
NHS Resolution
North West
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
North West
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Midlands and Lancashire CSU
Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Found Trust
Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership
St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
Health Education England
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Northern
North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North of England CSU (NECS)
South East
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
South East Coast Ambulance Service
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Kent and Medway ICB
NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB
Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Solent NHS Trust
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
South West
Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Found Trust
Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
North Bristol NHS Trust
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB (BSW Together)
NHS Devon ICB (One Devon)
NHS Dorset ICB (Our Dorset)
NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire)
West Midlands
Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust
