WINTER CRISIS
NHS strike could last six months as nurse walk-outs at more than 100 trusts threatens chaos
NHS strikes could cause chaos for six months as nurses prepare to stage their first walk-outs before Christmas.
Health chiefs today vowed to "minimise harm" to patients amid fears that cancer treatments, children's care and other operations will be cancelled or postponed.
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On Wednesday, the Royal College of Nursing, which has more than 300,000 members, announced the majority had voted in favour of the "historic" strike action.
Staff at 117 NHS trusts in England will stage walk-outs, which could last until May next year.
It comes as ministers have refused to meet the RCN's demands for an 18 per cent pay rise in next week's budget.
There are fears the disruption will heap more pressure on the NHS at a time when the latest figures show waiting lists have hit another new high - with 7.1million patients waiting to start treatment at the end of September - up from 7million in August.
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RCN general secretary Pat Cullen, said: "Anger has become action - our members are saying enough is enough.
"We will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.
"While we plan our strike action, next week's budget is the UK government's opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment.
"Politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point."
- Scroll down for the full list of NHS trusts affected
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Health Secretary Steve Barclay branded the decision to take strike action "disappointing", and insisted the RCN's demands are "out of step" with the current economic climate.
Downing Street said the union's pay demand would cost £9billion, with a spokesman adding: "In the current climate that is simply not deliverable."
RCN bosses slammed the four per cent pay rise offered by ministers in the summer because it was below inflation.
They now want 17.6 per cent - five per cent on top of RPI inflation - which is currently at 12.6 per cent.
Contingency plans are being drawn up by both the Department of Health and the Cabinet Office as operations and routine treatments face being delayed or cancelled - at a time when NHS waiting lists are at record highs.
Mr Barclay, who is meeting RCN chiefs today, said: "Regrettably, this action will mean some patients will have their treatment delayed.
"My priority is to keep patients safe during any strikes, minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate."
The Health Secretary is said to be eager to discuss improvements to working conditions, including rosters, but he is wedded to the NHS pay review body's recommendation of a £1,400 pay rise - rather than the five per cent above inflation demand from the RCN.
A DHSC source said: “Steve is very much in listening mode, he wants to hear from them about their concerns. He’s very focused on the work force and wants to do anything we possibly can to get more nurses in.”
But on pay, they said: “We are not negotiating because we have accepted the recommendation of the pay review body.”
ADDED PRESSURE
Patients will now face cancellations as hospitals are pared back to a bank holiday service during strikes.
A&E and ambulance care will carry on as normal but non-urgent clinics will be forced to slow down.
Some of the biggest hospitals in England will be affected by strike action, including St Thomas' in London, which sits across the River Thames from the House of Commons.
The RCN said it is finalising the plans for action, but said walk-outs will begin this year and they have a mandate to continue for six months, until May 2023.
It comes as more than seven million people are now waiting for NHS treatment in England and emergency delays are some of the worst on record.
We feel like we have been given no other choice
Maxine Wade
Ministers also face the threat of further strike action as NHS ballots are underway at the Unison, Unite and GMB unions, who represent ambulance staff, hospital porters, cleaners and other healthcare workers.
Head of health at Unison, Sara Gorton, said: "This is a loud wake-up call to the Government.
"Hundreds of thousands more nurses, paramedics, cleaners, healthcare assistants and other NHS employees are still to decide if they'll be striking for better pay and staffing.
"Now is the time for swift action to avoid a damaging dispute, otherwise, delays and waits for patients won't reduce."
DOCTORS' ORDERS
The leading doctors' trade union, the British Medical Association, gave their full backing to nursing colleagues.
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Read More on The Sun
Deputy chairwoman of the BMA, Dr Emma Runswick, said: "Like us, nurses are showing that they have had enough of being undervalued by this government.
"Along with other frontline healthcare workers, nurses have borne the brunt of an understaffed and under-resourced health service, where despite their best efforts and working at their absolute limits, healthcare staff are too often unable to provide patients with the care they need."
Will nurses at your hospital or NHS trust go on strike?
Here's the full list of hospitals that will go on strike between the end of this year and May 2023.
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 England
- 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
- 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
North West
- Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation 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 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 England
- 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
- NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB)
- NHS Black Country ICB
Yorkshire & The Humber
- Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
- The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- NHS England
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS West Yorkshire ICB
Wales
- Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
- Powys Teaching Local Health Board
- Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters
- Hywel Dda University Health Board
- Swansea Bay University Health Board
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
- Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board
- Velindre NHS Trust
- Public Health Wales
- Health Education and Improvement Wales Health Authority
- NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
- Digital Health and Care Wales
Scotland
- NHS Borders
- NHS Education For Scotland
- NHS Fife
- NHS National Services Scotland
- NHS Shetland
- NHS Western Isles
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway
- NHS Orkney
- NHS Golden Jubilee
- NHS 24
- The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
- NHS Grampian
- NHS Tayside
- NHS Ayrshire and Arran
- The Highland Council
- Healthcare Improvement Scotland
- Public Health Scotland
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- Scottish Ambulance Service
- NHS Lothian
- NHS Lanarkshire
- NHS Highland
- NHS Forth Valley
Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council
- Southern Health and Social Care Trust
- Western Health and Social Care Trust
- Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
- Business Services Organisation
- Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
- Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
- Public Health Agency
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust
- South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
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