NURSES STRIKE: 'We're doing all we can to keep patients safe'

Ahead of planned strike action by nurses next week, a leading Emergency Department nurse has told Downtown Cool FM staff are 'doing all they can to ensure patient safety.'

Members of the Royal College of Nursing are set to stage a 12-hour walk out on Wednesday, in a dispute over pay parity and safe staffing levels.

It is the first time in the organisation's 103-year history, after its members voted to take part in strike action in November.

96. of its members who returned their ballot papers voted for industrial action and 92% voted to take strike action.

Pat Cullen, Director of the Royal College of Nursing in Northern Ireland, said: "Nurses are very disappointed that there has been no further meaningful engagement with the Department of Health regarding the safe staffing and pay crisis that we are facing in Northern Ireland.

"While no nurse wants to take this action, unfortunately we have been left with no choice and we are now carrying out the instructions that our members have clearly voted for."

Work-to-rule action which includes declining to do non patient-specific tasks, has caused widespread disruption, with around 10,000 cancellations across the province.

Roisin Devlin is the Interim Clinical Manager for unscheduled care at the Ulster Hospital.

She told Downtown Cool FM staff are working hard to put patient's first:

"I know that nurses have been really, really torn about the decision but at the end of the day, nurses are advocates for their patients and they feel by saying enough is enough that that is what they are doing to be advocates.

"I think over the next little while with the strike action we will see an impact on patients...however, speaking to colleagues from a nursing point of view this is not something that people have chosen to do lightly."

"Our priority is always going to be patient safety and patient care and it may mean that other things fall by the wayside, things that we would do routinely maybe stocking and cleaning of departments.

"But we will always put patient's safety at the centre of everything we do, regardless of what's happening with strike or industrial action."

Last week unions rejected a new pay offer from the Department of Health saying it was 'insufficient.'

Speaking last Thursday, Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly said: "It is a matter of great regret that unions have taken this position, indicating that industrial action will now escalate.

"This will impact significantly on patient care in an already very challenging period for the health service.

"We have made a sizeable new offer. In the absence of Ministers, this is the furthest I am able to go. It is therefore the final offer for this year.

"Our proposals involve a projected 3.1% increase in the overall pay bill for Agenda for Change staff.

"This allows us to mirror the English NHS pay settlement for this year, as we did in 2018/19 when a 3% increase was awarded.

"This was always our intention.

"It had not been possible up to now within the budget we had at our disposal.

"We were informed by Department of Finance colleagues yesterday that an additional £28m is now available for this financial year.

"That has led to today’s increased offer.

"I accept it does not address everything trade unions wanted. That will require a Minister and longer term budgetary certainty.

"Neither does it resolve the financial and other challenges which the Department is facing.”

"While we cannot make a firm offer for next year in the absence of a budget, it is my clear intention to replicate the third year of the three year Agenda for Change pay settlement in 2020/21.

"We did that in 2018/19 and today’s offer does the same for this year."