Birmingham MP "seriously concerned" about impact of nurse's strike
Preet Kaur Gill MP has written to the chief executive of University Hospitals Birmingham.
Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston Preet Kaur Gill says she has "serious concerns" about the impact of industrial action by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
Hundreds of thousands of staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will walk out on the 15th and 20th December, saying years of low pay's putting patient care "at risk."
Writing to David Rosser, Chief Executive of the University Hospitals Birmingham Trust, Ms Gill asked about the impact of the anticipated strikes on patient care.
While the RCN insists emergency care staffing levels are to be maintained, there are concerns about the impact the strikes will have on non-urgent treatments like general surgery and cardiology.
In Preet’s letter to the Trust, she outlines how “the latest waiting time statistics at UHB show that the percentage of patients being seen within the 18-week target (39.5%) is the second lowest in country, behind only Cambridgeshire Community Services (37%), which sees 40 times fewer patients.”
Ms Gill also asked, “what reassurance you can provide to my constituents that UHB is taking steps to minimise the disruption this winter, support our valuable nursing workforce as best it can, and to bring waiting lists down?”
Preet Kaur Gill MP said: “With the NHS approaching winter with the longest waiting times in its history and record shortages of staff, we must work to avoid further setbacks. Responsibility for that starts with the government but it is also why I wrote to Dr Rosser to ask what action is being taken locally.
“Under this government, the British public now faces the worst access to health services of any country in Europe. It is completely unacceptable, and I am clear that this is no fault of our heroic NHS staff.
"They are slogging their guts out but there simply isn’t enough of them. That is why the Labour Party has pledged that we will train a new generation of doctors and nurses if we are elected to government.”
A spokesperson for University Hospitals Birmingham said: “We will be replying to the letter shortly; this will honestly reflect the tremendous efforts of all our brilliant colleagues at University Hospitals Birmingham, who have been working tirelessly to reduce waiting times for all patients, and get back on track for local people - following the huge and disproportionate setbacks we experienced in the pandemic.”
The Health Secretary has urged the RCN to consider "the impact of strikes on those who rely on the NHS for their care" and says "industrial action is in nobody’s best interests."
The chancellor pledged an extra ÂŁ2.3bn for the next two years for the NHS in his autumn statement last week.