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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Martin Bagot & Adam May

Nurses vote for first ever nationwide strike - see full list of NHS trusts affected

NHS nurses across the country have voted in favour of a national strike in a row over pay.

For the first time in its 106-year history the Royal College of Nursing balloted its 300,000 NHS membership and vast swathes of the country have voted to strike.

The UK-wide strike will be the first of its kind, with RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen calling it a “once in a generation chance to improve your pay and combat staff shortages” that put patients at risk.

The RCN ballot was carried out at a service level, meaning each hospital has to clear a 50% turnout threshold to be able to strike in action expected before Christmas.

Many of the biggest hospitals in England will see strikes including Guys and St Thomas in London, opposite the House of Commons

NHS nurses have voted to strike (In Pictures via Getty Images)

All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be included and all bar one in Wales met the relevant legal turnout threshold.

The strikes are thought to take place later this year and possibly over Christmas.

130 NHS Trusts have chosen to strike in England, 12 in Wales, 23 in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland.

The world’s largest nursing trade union and professional body will now pressure MPs to support their local striking nurses as polling shows support for the action is growing.

It is understood the picture is varied across the country and nurses at some hospitals, but not all, will take action.

More than 300,000 members were urged by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to vote for strike action in the union’s biggest strike ballot (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The rules around the ballot means that technically strikes take place on a trust by trust basis but the College is looking at ways they could be coordinated.

It has previously made clear critical and lifesaving care will not be affected.

The Government said it has contingency plans for dealing with any industrial action by nurses amid the growing threat of widespread strikes in the NHS.

The NHS is facing a winter of discontent with a number of health unions balloting for industrial action.

Others to either ballot or plan for strike action include GMB, Unite, the Royal College of Midwives and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

The NHS is facing a winter of discontent (PA)

The RCN has been historically resistant to industrial action.

The last widespread NHS strike action by nurses took place in 1988 led by smaller unions but the RCN opposed it.

Maxine Wade, a nursing associate from Yorkshire, said she voted for strike action in the ballot because she feels as though patient safety will continue to be compromised if action is not taken urgently.

“The main reason we’re doing it is for patient safety because if we don’t improve the pay or conditions, we’re not going to retain nurses and what you’ll leave is an NHS in deeper crisis and a further increase in patient mortality, poor care,” she said.

“We have an ageing population – we need a robust, well-funded supportive nursing workforce to support future generations to come.

“And unless we take action now, we’re not going to have that and that could lead to the privatisation of the health service.”

The world’s largest nursing trade union and professional body will now pressure MPs to support their local striking nurses (PA)

She added that while she recognises that people may have concerns about nurses striking, unions and NHS trusts will work together to “minimise disruption as much as possible”.

Nurses across the UK will strike in response to a £1,400 pay rise announced by the Government - which after inflation will be a significant real terms pay cut.

This worked out at around four per cent on average while in Scotland nurses were given a five per cent rise before inflation. Both have been rejected by unions.

They fall well short of the RPI rate of inflation currently at 12.6 per cent and unions are demanding an above inflation rise.

It comes after YouGov polling showed 65 per cent of Brits support nurses going on strike - up from 60 per cent three months ago.

The winter strike will mean parts of the NHS running a Bank Holiday service with elective procedures cancelled.

The RCN ballot was carried out at a hospital level, meaning each trust has to clear a 50 per cent turnout threshold.

And if that is not met, strike action will not take place at that hospital.

Nurses are asking for fairer pay (In Pictures via Getty Images)

The Government's Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: “We are all hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of NHS staff, including nurses, and deeply regret that some union members have voted for industrial action.

“These are challenging times, which is why we accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full and have given over one million NHS workers a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year.

"This is on top of a three per cent pay increase last year when public sector pay was frozen and wider government support with the cost of living.

“Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”

List of NHS trusts affected

East Midlands

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust

NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB (Joined Up Care Derbyshire)

NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust

Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Eastern

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB

NHS Mid and South Essex ICB

NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB

London

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust

Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust

Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust

St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

NHS North Central London ICB

NHS South West London ICB

NHS Resolution

North West

Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust

North West

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Midlands and Lancashire CSU

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Found Trust

Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust

Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

Health Education England

NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB

NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Northern

North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust

University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust

The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

North of England CSU (NECS)

South East

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

South East Coast Ambulance Service

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Kent and Medway ICB

NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB

Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Solent NHS Trust

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust

South West

Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Found Trust

Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

North Bristol NHS Trust

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB (BSW Together)

NHS Devon ICB (One Devon)

NHS Dorset ICB (Our Dorset)

NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire)

West Midlands

Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust

Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust

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