Tens of thousands of patients will have their care disrupted as nurses and ambulance staff walk out on Monday in what is the start of the biggest round of strikes in NHS history.
Royal College of Nursing members in a third of England’s NHS trusts are joined by the GMB and Unite unions, which represent ambulance workers.
The industrial action has prompted NHS Providers – which represents trusts – to urge the public to use emergency services “wisely” as it warned the whole service was approaching a “crunch point”.
Seven NHS trusts in London are affected on Monday including Great Ormond Street Hopsital for Children.
It’s the start of a series of walkouts by NHS staff in England this week, with further industrial action set for Tuesday, Thursday and Friday involving RCN members and Physios.
NHS Providers chief executive Sir Julian Hartley said the “double whammy” of strikes could see “the worst disruption yet” for the NHS as he urged ministers to sit down with unions to thrash out a settlement.
But Health Secretary Steve Barclay has repeated his call for the unions to call off their action as he insisted the Government could not give in to above-inflation pay claims.
However, Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said he was “not telling the truth” as neither he nor Rishi Sunak had been are prepared to discuss pay.
