Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles.
One app.

Start reading

Get all your news in one place.

100’s of premium titles. One news app.

Start reading

Evening Standard

World

Daniel Keane

Physiotherapists in 18 London trusts vote to strike over pay

NHS England Wales CSP Claire Sullivan

Physiotherapists in 18 NHS trusts in London have voted to strike in their first ever ballot on pay.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said 54 per cent of its members across England and Wales voted in the ballot and of these, 84 per cent voted yes to strike action and 93 per cent yes to action short of strike.

In London, 18 out of 30 trusts balloted voted for strike action. This includes Barts Health NHS Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

For England, turnout was 53 per cent, with 84 per cent voting yes to strike action and 92 per cent yes to action short of strike.

It comes just days before nurses at dozens of NHS trusts across England stage a strike over pay, with industrial action set to take place on December 15 and 20. Ambulance workers in several unions will also walk out on December 21.

A physiotherapist at a London trust said: “I’ve voted yes in the CSP ballot regarding NHS pay because enough is enough. NHS pay has failed to keep in line with inflation over many years and this has been exacerbated by the current cost-of-living crisis.

“I’m seeing colleagues consistently having to work extra shifts just to pay the bills and feed themselves and their children. Within our trust we have had to set up food banks to support staff, which is quite frankly appalling.

“I’ve had colleagues leave the trust due to being unable to afford the rent/mortgage or the commute into central London and others who are unable to afford the upfront cost of petrol for their community roles. We are unable to recruit staff, and this is just adding to the stress and workload of the staff.”

Physiotherapists in 112 organisations in England and in every health board in Wales now have a mandate for strike action and will begin the process of planning for industrial action early in the new year.

Claire Sullivan, director of employer relations and union services at the CSP, said: “There is not a single physiotherapist or support worker who wants to strike.

“NHS staff want to be at work, treating, rehabilitating, caring for their patients, but the current staff shortages across the NHS are making this more difficult every day. This workforce crisis simply cannot be solved without better pay.

“Our members have now delivered compelling support for industrial action in support of fairer pay. In any industrial action we will always ensure the safety of patients is safeguarded – but NHS strikes remain entirely avoidable.

“Once again, I urge the Government to respond to our repeated health union calls for immediate pay talks for the NHS.”

Physiotherapists voted to strike in the following London trusts:

- Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

- Barnet Enfield and Haringey Mental Health NHS Trust

- Barts Health NHS Trust

- Bromley Healthcare CIC

- Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

- Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust

- Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

- Croydon Health Services NHS Trust

- East London NHS Foundation Trust

- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust