Trainee doctors set to join nurses and paramedics in back-to-back strikes that could put lives at risk as the NHS grinds to a halt.
Experts have warned of the grave danger to patients if unions step up industrial action in their fight for inflation-busting pay rises.
Next Tuesday, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will host its second 12-hour strike – and the following day paramedics will walk out in what a senior NHS manager has warned poses a “different level of risk” due to the direct risks. emergency services will be affected.
But it gets worse, because depending on the outcome of a national vote, doctors will likely soon join the fray in another fight over wages.
Trainee doctors set to join nurses and paramedics in back-to-back strikes that could put lives at risk as the NHS grinds to a halt.
This map shows the hospitals where the Royal College of Nursing will hold its first pay strikes on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December
The ambulance strike will hit emergency services across England and Wales for two days
The left-leaning British Medical Association (BMA) is keen to join the action, arguing that salaries for junior doctors have fallen by 26 per cent in real terms since 2008, leaving many struggling financially.
On January 9, she opened a poll among her 45,000 junior doctors, stressing: “All options are on the table.”
Although health workers’ unions have ruled out simultaneous strikes on safety grounds, they are considering holding them on consecutive days.
The immediate threat comes as follows:
- The RCN has said it will set dates for large-scale strikes in January unless ministers agree to meet this week to discuss wages;
- Relations between the two sides continued to deteriorate, with Health Secretary Steve Barclay accusing RCN leader Pat Cullen of “cockiness”;
- The Mail on Sunday unearthed polls commissioned by RCN which showed that only one in seven members of the public would give nurses a pay rise of more than 10 per cent;
- Leading cancer doctor Professor Karol Sikora warned: “Successive strikes will have an additive effect and the NHS will gradually grind to a halt.”
Some patients will die, he said, adding: “We don’t know exactly who they will be, but they will mostly be elderly, debilitated people.”
Dr Charles Levinson of the private service Doctorcall said: “It is their job to save lives, so it is inevitable that lives will be put at risk if they do not do their job. If the strikes continue, there could be a significant increase in deaths.”
Last night the RCN mr. Barclay given until Thursday at 8pm to agree to meet Ms Cullen or he would have to strike in January. At previous meetings, Mr Barclay refused to discuss a pay rise above the current 4.75 per cent offer. The RCN is claiming up to 19 per cent.
Trainee doctors could vote for strikes again next year, mirroring the 2016 industrial action that saw them quit their jobs several times that year (pictured)
Ms Cullen said: “The Government need to get it done before Christmas. We’re not looking for a miracle, but in their ability to solve it.”
Ms Cullen accused Mr Barclay of “macho” and “bullying” behavior towards nurses last week and claimed in an interview yesterday that he “struggles” to control his anger during meetings.
His aides are angry at the personal attacks, describing them as unfounded and counterproductive.
Today, Mr Barclay hit back, writing in The Mail on Sunday: “Despite their claims, some union leaders would rather be on picket lines and in TV studios than sitting down and having constructive discussions.”
Ms Cullen argues that the public supports nurses, but her own polls show it is not a blank cheque.
The YouGov poll commissioned by RCN in June found that just 14 per cent of people thought nurses’ pay should rise by more than 10 per cent. This statement was omitted in a later press release.
The NHS cannot afford a 19 per cent pay rise for nurses, writes Health and Social Care Secretary STEVE BARCLAY
This winter is a worrying time for our country. For months, households had to cope without rising living costs due to rising energy prices.
Now, amid bitterly cold weather, they also face an outbreak of disruptive strikes over essential public services.
Last week the Royal College of Nursing held a one-day strike. For the first time in union history, striking nurses joined the picket lines.
The RCN is planning a second day of action for the union on Tuesday, with paramedics and emergency call staff to follow the next day.
Last week the Royal College of Nursing held a one-day strike. For the first time in union history, striking nurses joined the picket lines. The RCN is planning a second day of action for the union on Tuesday, with paramedics and emergency call staff to follow the next day
Pictured: An ambulance drives past as nurses and supporters gather to demonstrate outside St Thomas’ Hospital in Westminster on December 15, 2022
Many people will be concerned about the impact on NHS services. As Minister for Health and Social Care, my primary responsibility is the safety of patients and the public.
That is why I have done my utmost to listen to union concerns and engage in dialogue with them throughout this debate.
Contrary to claims made in some quarters in recent days, I have made efforts to meet and speak with union leaders – and I am determined to continue doing so.
And when I sit down with union representatives, I freely admit that I want to take the conversation beyond pay claims to the crucial issues of patient safety and working conditions for staff in our NHS.
These are issues that NHS managers and staff discuss with me every day of the week.
I am amazed at the fantastic work our dedicated nurses do and I look forward to engaging in constructive discussions to resolve these challenges and improve the experience of working in the NHS.
Despite their claims, some union leaders would rather be on picket lines and in television studios than sit down and have constructive discussions. Strikes are in no one’s interest, let alone in the interest of all patients.
When I sit down with union representatives I freely admit that I want to take the conversation beyond pay claims to the crucial issues of patient safety and working conditions for staff in our NHS
I have to admit that I am concerned that some of the unions representing ambulance workers are not particularly cooperative when it comes to negotiating worker coverage on strike days. No one wants patients to be at risk.
As patient safety is my top priority, I will do everything in my power to promote a meaningful dialogue about the life of emergency services during strikes.
Ministers also listened to concerns about pay. During last year’s public sector pay freeze, the government gave more than a million NHS workers a 3 per cent pay rise.
This year, even when money was tight, we fully followed the advice of the Independent Payroll Inspectorate, which gave nurses and most other NHS staff a pay rise of at least £1,400 each.
This government has put the NHS first, as we announced. But the country simply cannot afford the 19 per cent pay rise for nurses demanded by the RCN. Frankly, neither can the NHS.
I don’t want people to miss out on essential treatments and surgeries, but that’s what will happen if we divert resources from frontline services to unaffordable pay rises.
So striking is this fact that even Labour, a party so often held hostage by its union paymasters, admits that the RCN demands are completely prohibitive. It is time for unions to recognize this too.
My request to the union leaders is: let’s keep talking, especially about patient safety.
And if unions are determined to continue the strikes, they must not shy away from their duty to put patient safety first.
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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.
