Hospitals in London are bracing for strike action (Stock image)
(Picture: PA Archive)Up to 100,000 nursing staff will take part in strikes on two dates next month, the Royal College of Nursing has confirmed, with industrial action set to go ahead at four London NHS trusts.
RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said the union had been left with “no choice” but to stage a walkout on December 15 and 20.
In London, nurses will strike at four trusts - Great Ormond Street, Guy’s and St Thomas’, Imperial College and the Royal Marsden. Industrial action will also take place at the North Central London integrated care board (ICB).
However, strikes will not take place at other London trusts which met the threshold for industrial action. This includes Kings College Hospital, St George's University Hospitals and Tavistock and Portman.
Service levels during the strikes have been negotiated by the RCN with each individual trust to ensure no disruption to life-saving care.
Every single NHS employer in Wales will go on strike except for one and 13 employers in the South West of England will stage industrial action. This contrasts with the South East, where three trusts are bracing for strike action.
Emergency care will not be affected but the nursing strikes are likely to impact routine services such as knee and hip replacements.
The RCN has demanded a pay rise of five per cent above RPI inflation, claiming the Government’s current annual pay rise of £1,400 is insufficient to shield staff from the cost of living crisis. Analysis conducted for the union claims that experienced nurses are 20 per cent worse off in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
Ms Cullen said: “Nursing is standing up for the profession and their patients. We’ve had enough of being taken for granted and being unable to provide the care patients deserve.
“Ministers still have the power and the means to stop this by opening negotiations that address our dispute.”
Unions are also balloting ambulance drivers, paramedics, cleaners, catering staff and junior doctors.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay on Monday insisted his “door remains open” to health unions but that he was “concerned” about the prospect of strikes occurring across the NHS.
Speaking to the Standard during a visit to the Royal Marsden hospital on Monday, Mr Barclay said he would not be drawn into discussions on pay beyond the £1,400 already offered by the Government, adding that he had “accepted the pay review body’s recommendation”.
“As a country we’ve faced two 100-year events in the space of three years. We’re not alone in this, other countries are also suffering the same inflationary pressures,” he said.
“If we don’t grip inflation it could have a big impact on Londoners, feeding into mortgage rates or interest on people’s loans. I think getting inflation down is the best way of supporting people through the cost of living crisis on top of our energy support scheme.”
