Nurses are set to go back out on strike from 7am to 7pm tomorrow and Thursday (January 18 and 19). The walkout marks the second wave of industrial action from the Royal College of Nursing, and the first to hit Greater Manchester hospitals.
The strikes have already made history as the first-ever industrial action from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Tens of thousands of union members took part in strikes in December 'to demand fair pay and improved patient safety'.
The nursing strikes came alongside industrial action from NHS workers. Unions representing ambulance workers have also been leading industrial action, with more expected to be staged in the coming weeks.
READ MORE: More than 4,000 ambulance patients forced to wait over an HOUR outside Greater Manchester A&Es
Where are the strikes?
The affected areas in Greater Manchester are in the Tameside and Glossop, Christie and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trusts.
Across the North West, the trusts affected are as follows. We have also listed the locations of the Greater Manchester pickets:
- University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust - Tameside Hospital
- Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust - The Christie Hospital
- Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust - the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary
- Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB
- St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB
- Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
If you are an NHS worker and would like to share your experiences with us anonymously, please email helena.vesty@reachplc.com
Why are nurses striking?
Downing Street called the announcement of further strike dates by nurses "deeply regrettable". The union had initially demanded a pay increase of up to 19 per cent to cover soaring inflation and falls in real term wages over the past decade.
But earlier this month, RCN boss Pat Cullen said she would be willing to "meet the government halfway" and could accept a pay rise of around 10 per cent to end its ongoing dispute with the government. The government has continually declined to re-open pay negotiations when it comes to pay, saying it will stick to the recommendation of the independent pay review body of around 4 per cent while public finances are short.
The union has also cried out over understaffing, with low pay believed to be fuelling a recruitment and retention crisis within the NHS. The understaffing leads to unsafe care, says the RCN. Across the NHS, there are more than 130,000 staff vacancies.
Will any nurses be working over the course of the strike days?
The RCN has agreed to still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care. Some areas of mental health and learning disability and autism services are also exempt, while when it comes to adult A&E and urgent care, nurses will work Christmas Day-style rotas.
What's the advice if you need medical help or have an appointment booked?
The NHS is asking patients to seek urgent care if they need it during industrial action this week and continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to rearrange. Patients should use services 'wisely' by going to NHS 111 online as the first port of call for health needs and continuing to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
"General practice, community pharmacies, and dentistry are not impacted by strike action and the public should continue to access these services as needed on strike days. The NHS will contact anyone whose appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. If the NHS has not contacted you, it is important to attend appointments as planned.
"This Wednesday and Thursday (18 and 19 January) nurses in some local NHS organisations, including NHS Trusts, are striking but not every local area is impacted. In all cases, priority will be given to those patients with the most clinically urgent health needs," the health service has said.
NHS Deputy Chief Nursing Officer Charlotte McArdle said: “The NHS has tried and tested methods in place to manage any disruption and has been working hard to minimise the impact for patients. It is important that people continue coming forward for treatment, whether it is 111 online for non-life threatening care, making use of your local pharmacy or General Practice, or dialling 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
“While strikes will impact some services in those local organisations taking action, NHS teams have worked hard to maintain routine care as much as possible, so it is important people attend appointments as planned unless they have been contacted to rearrange.”
When using NHS online, patients enter answers about health needs and the service makes an assessment and directs you to the best place for your care – this can include a consultation with a pharmacist, a call back from a nurse, or visiting a same day urgent treatment centre or A&E.
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