A nurse taking part in a second day of industrial action has revealed she chose to go on strike after her son had an asthma attack and experienced the pressures on A&E departments first hand.
Angie Scott, who is also a Labour councillor representing the Prudhoe North ward on Northumberland County Council, waited ten hours in the corridor of a hospital after her 17-year-old son, who has autism, became ill.
Coun Scott explained that the decision to go on strike on Tuesday wasn't just about pay, but about patient safety and working conditions as well.
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She said: "We were sitting in a corridor from 8pm until six in the morning. There were hundreds of ill people and there were no beds.
"It was a hard decision, but that did it for me, seeing it on the other side from a patient point of view. Nurses, doctors and porters were constantly apologising.
"It was horrendous. It has totally shown how the NHS needs to be looked at by Government. We are striking about pay, but also about conditions and patient safety."
Walkouts have taken place across the North East, including at Newcastle's Freeman and Royal Victoria Infirmary hospitals, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead, the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington and North Tyneside and Hexham general hospitals, with hundreds of nurses taking to picket lines.
It is the second day of action in the Royal College of Nursing's first ever strike in more than 100 years, following a walkout last week. The RCN are calling for a pay rise of five per cent above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer - the Government offer remains that nurses should get a pay rise of around £1,400.
Coun Scott added: "I love the NHS, I love my job and I love working for the NHS. I've worked at various trusts for over 20 years.
"I've never seen it on the other side like that - in A&E, with hundreds of ill people lying around corridors. We have loads of support from the public."
Speaking ahead of the second day of nursing strikes, RCN General Secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullen, said: “The Prime Minister should ask himself what is motivating nursing staff to stand outside their hospitals for a second day so close to Christmas.
"They are prepared to sacrifice a day’s pay to have their concerns heard. Their determination stems as much from worries over patient safety and the future of the NHS than personal hardship.
“Let’s get this wrapped up by Christmas. I will negotiate with him at any point to stop nursing staff and patients going into the new year facing such uncertainty.
“But if this Government isn’t prepared to do the right thing, we’ll have no choice but to continue in January and that will be deeply regrettable.”
The Government has said the pay rise demanded by the union is unaffordable.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said ahead of the strike: “The RCN’s demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.
“I’m open to engaging with the unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work.”
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