A strike by RMT rail workers, while disruptive, is hardly historic. But that is the only way to describe today’s walkout by nurses — the largest ever of its kind in the NHS.
Staff at a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England, all health boards in Northern Ireland and all but one in Wales are taking part. In London, industrial action is impacting Great Ormond Street, Imperial College Healthcare and Royal Marsden, among others.
Patients are understandably concerned. Some routine operations and cancer care have been suspended. Few people needed convincing how vital a role nurses perform, but we are seeing it nonetheless.
The Government can talk as tough as it likes and point to independent pay review bodies, frequently ignored, and provide recommendations based on outdated inflation figures. But the reality is that ministers must show greater flexibility to eke out a deal.
Not simply because there is greater public sympathy for striking nurses than those in other sectors but because we cannot expect healthcare professionals to stay in the industry solely out of the goodness of their own hearts.
Pay is directly linked to recruitment and retention — and the NHS is struggling in this regard. This is especially the case in the capital, where nurse and midwife leaver rates are highest, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies think-tank.
Struggling on low wages, nurses are leaving for higher-paid and often lower-stress employment. This would be bad enough if it wasn’t for the fact that the health service is already desperate for staff. The Government must recognise that it is in a weak position, meet with the nurses and offer a reasonable settlement.
Women’s safety first
Zara Aleena was only walking home, after an evening out with a friend. The 35-year-old was followed before her killer launched a ferocious attack lasting nine minutes and then left her to die outside a home in Ilford.
He will now spend many years in prison — but her friends and family will forever grieve for a life cut short.
Ms Aleena’s aunt, Farah Naz, said her niece was conscious of the dangers for women following the murders of Bibaa Henry, Nicole Smallman, Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa but that she “walked everywhere” and had felt “safe in the community where she was well known.” She was not safe enough.
To call for women to be and feel protected on the streets of London risks sounding incomplete. Of course they must. Tackling violence against women and girls, showing zero tolerance for ‘lesser’ sexual offences and placing more police in the community, ought to be a priority for the Metropolitan Police, City Hall and central government. Our city demands it.
Theatres of dreams
For theatregoers, there has rarely been a better time. There are glowing reviews for As You Like It at @sohoplace and Jack and the Beanstalk at the Palladium.
So ignore the weather, plan around the strikes and get out to enjoy everything that’s on offer in the West End and beyond. There is something for everyone.
