Nurses, including those working in intensive care and A&E, are set to walk out on strike at four of the North East's NHS hospital trusts in a two-day strike at the beginning of March.
This marks an escalation in the ongoing pay dispute - as previously critical services have been protected. But the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union has now announced another strike for 48 hours between 6am on March 1 and 6am on March 3 where this will not be the case.
This will also be the first time the nursing strikes have stretched into a night shift. As previously, the Newcastle Hospitals, Gateshead Health, Northumbria Healthcare and County Durham and Darlington NHS trusts will be affected.
RCN nurses working at North East Ambulance Service and the North East NHS Commissioning Support Unit (CSU) are also affected. The union said it will reduce services to an “absolute minimum” and ask hospitals to rely on members of other unions and other clinical professions instead.
The RCN has also increased its strike benefit rate from £50 to £80 per day. It then jumps to £120 from the fourth day of action. The action comes as the union's calls for an improved pay offer compared to the Government's proposal of a rise of around three-to-four per cent fall on deaf ears.
Union general secretary Pat Cullen, said: “It is with a heavy heart that I have today asked even more nursing staff to join this dispute. These strikes will not just run for longer and involve more people but will leave no area of the NHS unaffected. Patients and nurses alike did not want this to happen.
“By refusing to negotiate with nurses, the Prime Minister is pushing even more people into the strike. He must listen to NHS leaders and not let this go ahead. I will do whatever I can to ensure patient safety is protected."
She said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak "owes nurses an answer". Speaking on Friday morning to BBC Breakfast, she said that she had not met with Health Secretary Steve Barclay for more than a month.
Previously, the RCN has agreed 5,000 exemptions at local level through committees of NHS hospitals and RCN staff, but this process will be stopped for the March dates. But the union said it was continuing discussions with the NHS at national level as part of its commitment to “life and limb” care.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Failure to provide cover during strike action for key services like cancer care is a significant escalation from the Royal College of Nursing that will risk patient safety. We are working closely with NHS England on contingency plans, but this action will inevitably cause further disruption for patients.
“I’ve had a series of discussions with unions, including the RCN, about what is fair and affordable for the coming year, as well as wider concerns around conditions and workload.”
Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive at NHS Providers said: “This is the most worrying escalation of strikes yet. With more than 140,000 appointments already postponed as a result of the walkouts, this is a step no one wants to take. A continuous 48-hour strike with no exceptions in A&E, intensive care units or cancer care services will be a huge blow – especially as even more trusts will be affected this time."
Sir Julian said that - with further ambulance strikes and the threat of action from junior doctors - that trust leaders had been put in "a near-impossible position".
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