A Liverpool nurse says she feels "physically sick" at the prospect of walking out on strike but says it is the only way to get the government to change the "heartbreaking" situation the profession now faces.
Carmel O'Boyle is one of thousands of nurses across Liverpool and the country who go out on strike on two days this month in a row over pay, conditions and patient safety. The 42-year-old said she and others feel they have no choice but to make the "horrendous decision".
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Aintree, Broadgreen, Liverpool Women's Hospital and all other city sites will walk out on December 15 and 20 as part of the biggest ever national action the nursing profession has ever seen.
READ MORE: Nurses across Liverpool to strike on two days next month as one says 'we're in dire straits'
Carmel, who has been a nurse for six years and was previously a Healthcare Assistant, said the decision to strike is one of the hardest she has ever made. She said: "This was a horrendous decision to make and it is a decision that none of us wanted to take. I feel physically sick thinking about it, I can't believe the government has let it get this far. They could put a stop to this at any minute."
The RCN has repeated calls on the UK government to accept its request for negotiations to resolve the dispute over pay and patient safety.
Carmel said the strike action is as much about the ability to safely care for patients as it is getting a fair pay deal that will allow nurses to get by.
She said: "This isn't just about pay, it's about patient safety - there is not enough of us, we have patients lying in corridors and every nurse I know is pulling extra shifts. This winter is already horrific and it's going to get more horrific. Hospitals are full to the brim, we as nurses want to be able to properly care for our patients."
As well as working as a nurse, mum Carmel has taken on another role as a part-time lecturer to help pay the bills. She is also chair of the North West Regional Board of the Royal College of Nursing and regularly hears from colleagues in distress and desperation.
She said: "We want to be able to pay our bills and just not be terrified all the time. One in four hospitals across the country now have foodbanks in them - that is just mad. We are in the sixth richest country on earth and nurses are on the breadline.
"I want an end to the stories I'm hearing of nurses who can't afford Christmas presents for their kids, it's just heartbreaking. Other nurses are taking home bags of pasta from foodbanks but can't afford to heat them. The stories just get worse and worse."
"There are groups of nurses who are organising joint childcare in one house to save energy, with others covering their shifts. We are seeing people leave the profession to get jobs with supermarkets because its less stressful.
"It's been a horrendous time, there have been so many tears spilled and people are genuinely frightened for their patients. No one wants to go on strike but how will they listen to us otherwise. This is an historic moment and the government has to listen."
She added that life-saving care will continue at hospitals where staff are striking, adding: "We will keep people safe."
The RCN is calling for a pay rise of 5% above RPI inflation, saying the economic argument for paying nursing staff fairly is clear when billions of pounds is being spent on agency staff to plug workforce gaps. The union pointed out that in the last year, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, which explains why there are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in the NHS in England.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: "Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations and instead chosen strike action. It has left us with no choice but to announce where our members will be going on strike in December."
Interim chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said: "Nobody wants to see strikes when the NHS is about to experience what may be its hardest ever winter but we understand how strongly nurses feel and why it has come to this.
"We urge the Government to act fast and talk to nurses and union leaders to find a way to avert strikes. Trusts up and down the country have been planning for industrial action. Not all of them will be affected directly but those that are will do everything in their power to minimise disruption for patients."
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has urged the RCN to reconsider its action, stating his "disappointment" at the "unprecedented step."
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