Patients warned as nurses in the East Midlands resume strikes today

Tens of thousands of nurses across the country will head to the picket lines today, to continue striking over pay and working conditions.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) went out on strike for the first time in history last month.

This time, only 3 Trusts in the East Midlands are taking part.

Neither Lincolnshire or Newark are affected, as nurses in our area are not taking part this time, however pressure is believed to continue to build despite this.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has also announced that two more, bigger strikes will be held next month in England and Wales on February 6 and February 7.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Steve Barclay said:

“Patients will understandably be worried by the prospect of further strike action by nurses - the previous two days of nurse strikes saw around 30,000 elective procedures and outpatient appointments cancelled. It is inevitable industrial action will have an impact on patients.

“I have had constructive talks with the Royal College of Nursing and other unions about the 2023/24 pay process and look forward to continuing that dialogue.”

The RCN representative for the East Midlands, Ian Graham says one of the biggest issues is recruitment:

"The Government talk about winter pressures... we don't have those winter pressures - we have all year pressures. We need to talk about the safe staffing that persists 365 days of the year. We don't need the Government hoodwinking the public that the shortage is only a problem on strike days.

"Students are coming out now with £50,000 worth of debt, onto a salary of about £27,000. People can get better paid jobs elsewhere, so why would they come into the NHS, into a nursing profession with so much stress, so much uncertainty and put up with the low pay?"

See a breakdown of where nurses will be striking in surrounding areas:

East Midlands

NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB (Joined Up Care Derbyshire) - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Eastern

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

NHS Mid and South Essex ICB - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Yorkshire & Humber

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

Sheffield Childrens NHS Foundation Trust - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

NHS West Yorkshire ICB - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

National employers

NHS Resolution

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) - 18 Jan / 19 Jan

'Patient care is suffering like never before'

RCN Chief Executive Pat Cullen said on Monday: "It is with a heavy heart that nursing staff are striking this week and again in three weeks. Rather than negotiate, (Prime Minister) Rishi Sunak has chosen strike action again.

"We are doing this in a desperate bid to get him and ministers to rescue the NHS.

"The only credible solution is to address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs - patient care is suffering like never before.

"My olive branch to Government - asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations - is still there. They should grab it."

The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, though it has said it will accept a lower offer.

Inflation was running at 7.5% when it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March - But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September.

On Monday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Obviously we would continue to urge unions to step back from strike action, which will have an impact on patient care.

"We know in the first round of strikes 11,000 appointments were cancelled. So it's inevitable that this, on a larger scale, will have a larger impact and that is hugely regrettable at a time when the health service is under significant pressure.

"We feel like there have been constructive talks with the unions and we'd want those to continue rather than taking to the picket lines."

NHS England said patients should use services "wisely" by going to NHS 111 online but continuing to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.

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