A nurse going on strike at a Greater Manchester hospital this weekend has slammed the pay for her profession — claiming she could earn a similar amount at a budget supermarket without the same level of stress.
She also explained that, despite concerns in other parts of the country, the strike is not expected to cause havoc in Greater Manchester. The Royal College of Nursing union is staging a walkout from 8pm on Sunday to 11.59pm on Monday (May 1) at Tameside Hospital, The Christie, and the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan.
It’s the latest industrial action in a dispute over pay, but nurses from other unions have accepted the government’s offer, so have returned to work.
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It leaves the RCN as the only nursing union left on strike, although it is the largest nursing union in the country. One member who works at an accident and emergency department in Greater Manchester has explained why she is going on strike.
“Unfortunately a lot of people and a lot of my colleagues voted to reject the offer because there’s a massive link between fair pay for nurses and patient safety,” she told the Manchester Evening News. “At the moment, it’s not attractive enough for people to come to the job.
“You can earn the same at Costa or Aldi — and when you go home, you’re finished. You do not have to worry about patients.
The unattractive nature of nursing has also been recognised by Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation, a membership body for organisations that commission and provide services across the NHS, this morning (April 29).
He told BBC Breakfast: “We have 120,000-plus of vacancies in the health service. We have been waiting for years for a proper funded workforce plan, so even when these strikes are over, we still have very serious issues of recruitment, retention and of motivation in our health and care system.”
Mr Taylor, added the strike will leave parts of the NHS ‘under immense strain’ nationally. He said: “We are a health service that is always running on hot.
“If you take capacity out even for a day then it has knock-on effects, but this has been going on for six months so those effects have piled up. There are hundreds of thousands of cancelled operations and procedures and that is why it is so vital to have a resolution to this dispute.
“If this industrial action were to roll on into the summer then it would make it almost impossible for us to meet the targets that we have, in backlog and other areas of patient care.”
However, frontline medics in Greater Manchester do not believe the strike will cripple the service. The nurse continued: “You cannot predict day by day the through-put in A&E. [In terms of elective procedures], it’s a Sunday and bank holiday so it’s a limited service anyway. It’s not going to have much of an impact.
“Procedures will be put in place [to mitigate the strike]. The RCN is the biggest union out of all of them, and we have declined the pay offer and voted to strike again, but there will be other nurses — part of other unions — there to cover. It’s not like there’s not going to be any nurses around.
“A lot of nursing shifts will be full of agency staff, too. There will be nurses who are not striking because they have chosen not to.”
Ahead of the strike, the chief nurse for Greater Manchester asked people to be responsible this bank holiday weekend, and urged patients to use 111 instead.
Mandy Philbin, chief nurse, NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care said: “Bank Holidays are always a busy time for the NHS and whilst we absolutely want people to enjoy themselves, we also ask that people prepare where they can e.g., having enough prescription medication, keeping some over-the-counter medicines at home to help self-care, and taking care when drinking alcohol. Whether you’re working in the garden, tackling some DIY, or taking part in outdoor activities please remember to do it safely.
“With bank holiday coinciding with strike action, we would like the public to consider which services they use to help reduce unnecessary demand on our urgent care services. This includes using 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to only use 999 if it is a life-threatening emergency.
“The NHS is here for people if they need over the bank holiday period and experienced 111 call operators will be available 24/7 to answer your concerns and direct you to the most appropriate place for your need.”
A government spokesperson said “It is hugely disappointing that the Royal College of Nursing membership has rejected the pay deal recommended by their leadership. Following constructive discussions, all parties agreed this was a fair and generous offer which is demonstrated by Unison, representing the largest share of the NHS workforce, choosing to accept it.
“The fact that the Royal College of Nursing has announced an escalation in strike action with no derogations, based on a vote from the minority of the nursing workforce, will be hugely concerning for patients. Hundreds of thousands of Agenda for Change staff continue to vote in ballots for other unions over the next two weeks and we hope this generous offer secures their support.”
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