Nurses in Cornwall are NOT striking
Thousands of Royal College of Nursing members are taking industrial action today
Last updated 15th Dec 2022
Royal College of Nursing members in Cornwall are not taking part in planned strike action today (Thursday 15 December) and next Tuesday (20 December).
The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System have issued an update, as thousands of nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland walk out.
In a statement, they said: "RCN members at the Royal Cornwall, West Cornwall in Penzance, St Michael’s in Hayle, and Cornwall’s community hospitals and services are not taking part in planned strike action on those dates.
"However, the planned action may affect NHS providers across Devon. All trusts are committed to keeping disruption to their services to a minimum on these dates and have measures in place to ensure the safety and welfare of their patients and staff.
"Industrial action is a national dispute between the Government and Trade Unions about terms and conditions of employment."
It is estimated up to 70,000 NHS appointments could be cancelled today as a result of industrial action. People who have an appointment - and have not been told it has been cancelled - should still go along.
People who need urgent care will still get help, while GP surgeries and pharmacies are running as normal.
The Cornwall Isles and Scilly ICS say if you have an appointment at one of their hospitals, to please attend as planned:
"Please do not call to check if your appointment is going ahead. We will always contact you directly if we need to rearrange your appointment for any reason.
"Please use the emergency departments at the Royal Cornwall Hospital (Treliske) in Truro, and those in Devon, if you have a life-threatening emergency.
"Please be aware that our EDs, like the wider NHS and local health and care system, are very busy."
Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay, said: "Our nurses are incredibly dedicated to their job and it is deeply regrettable some union members are going ahead with strike action.
"My number one priority is to keep patients safe – I’ve been working across government and with medics outside the public sector to ensure safe staffing levels - but I do remain concerned about the risk that strikes pose to patients. Nevertheless, the NHS is open and patients should continue to seek urgent medical care - and attend appointments, unless they’ve been contacted by the NHS.
"These are challenging times but we have accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body in full to give nurses a pay rise of at least £1,400 – on top of a 3% pay rise last year when wider public sector pay was frozen. Further pay increases would mean taking money away from frontline services at a time when we are tackling record waiting lists as a result of the pandemic."
You can find out where strike action is taking place here.