Cancer patients are facing a “new wave of fear” after nurses threatened to withdraw their care for 48 hours over pay, charities warn.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will escalate union action by cutting benefits to an “absolute minimum” from 6am on March 1 if it does not reach an agreement with the government.
For the first time, the strike will affect nurses working in emergency rooms, intensive care units, cancer care and other services who were previously laid off. Previous campaigns also only took place in 12-hour day shifts.
Eve Byrne, director of advocacy at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “This news will spark a new wave of fear among people living with cancer whose lives are already in the hands of a healthcare system that is under immense pressure despite its best working people . nurses and doctors.’
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will escalate industrial action by cutting services to an “absolute minimum” from 6am on March 1
and Dr Ian Walker, director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, hoped that “all the necessary steps will be taken to ensure that life-saving services are not missed by cancer patients and that negotiations will be successful…”.
Nurses will strike at 120 NHS employers in England from March 1. The RCN is also hoping to strengthen its strike lines by increasing its strike pay from £50 to £80 a day and increasing it to £120 from the fourth day. The union is demanding a wage increase of up to 19.2 percent to combat inflation.
It came as Unison said ambulance workers in South Central, East of England, West Midlands and East Midlands voted to join collective action following votes, as did health workers at: NHS Blood and Transplant; Great Hospital in Ormond Street; the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool Women’s Hospital; and the Bridgewater Community Trust.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
