A massive impact on health services is expected in next week's strike action as unions get tough with bosses. February 6 and 7 are set to be some of the biggest strike days in NHS history.
Thousands of nurses from the Royal College of Nursing, and ambulance workers belonging to GMB and Unite union are striking on Monday, February 6. Midwives and maternity support workers who are members of the Royal College of Midwives for NHS Wales are also going on strike for the first time this year on February 7, and nurses will continue their strike action on that day too. It's the first time all the unions have chosen the same day for their strike action.
WalesOnline understands that nursing leaders are imposing tougher conditions on when staff will work through the strike. In what is known as the derogation process to ensure life-saving services are still running in the NHS in preparation for the strikes, the Royal College of Nursing made it clear that staff deployment would be to "reserve life only", with no exemption to this rule.
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Derogations are a method of maintaining safe staffing levels on strike days are achieved when the union and the employer agree that a member of staff or service shall be exempt from taking part in industrial action. It is during this process where the staffing of wards and other services are proposed - and it is decided if staffing will run on a similar service to Christmas Day or night shift staffing, as an example.
This process is taking place on a local level and even down to a ward on ward basis. Ward managers, service managers and other health services had to submit their derogation requirements to the unions on Wednesday.
RCM midwives will be on strike from 8am to 4pm on Monday. The midwife strike combined with the ambulance strikes causes creates a particular challenge for the services on these days.
For example a number of midwife led maternity units closed on the last ambulance strike day and women were instead encouraged to attend their local labour ward or birth centre in a clinical setting. This was done in order to reduce the risk and need of needing ambulance transportation to hospital in the event of a mother and baby needing consultant care that is not available at midwife led birth centres. For more stories like this, sign up to our WalesMatters newsletter here.
WalesOnline understands that it is very likely that midwife led maternity units will be closed on Monday due to the lack of ambulance staff and it is likely this closure could continue into Tuesday when midwives are on strike. However this decision will be made by local health boards and will not be a Wales-wide policy.
Expectant mothers should feel reassured that if they do have any concerns, such as low-foetal movements, during this period there will be staff available to help them. They are urged to contact their usual maternity clinic for advice in this instance. However, all outpatient appointments and antenatal clinic appointments have been cancelled.
According to RCM the safety of women will be the "prime concern" during industrial action and that there will be midwives and maternity support workers on maternity units to ensure that women who are either in labour or needing emergency care will still receive the care they need. The RCM has said that the cover will be similar to that in place on a bank holiday.
While it is hard to give a prediction of how many members of staff will be on strike across the whole of the Welsh NHS, it is understood that more than 50% of Welsh Ambulance Service workers will be on strike. The public is once again urged only to call 999 for an ambulance if it is a life threatening emergency and with an expected increase in the amount of ambulance staff striking on Monday, that message is even more important to the service than usual.
We have contacted health boards across Wales requesting more information on how their services will be affected on Monday.
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