Nurses’ strike scaled back – but 76 trusts still facing walkouts

Patients and the nHs will face less disruption than feared when nurses go on strike next month following an apparent climbdown by their union.

The Royal College of nursing (RCn) revealed yesterday that its members will strike at only half of the employers in england that secured a mandate for industrial action.

Nurses had voted in favour of striking at 176 hospitals and health organisations across the UK, prompting leaders to order walkouts on December 15 and 20.

Health bosses warned strikes will put lives at risk and force them to cancel tests and operations when a record 7.1million patients are on waiting lists.

However, the RCn has now said nurses will go on strike at only 76 locations, though about 100,000 will still be involved in the walkouts.

Half of trusts where nurses could legally take action in england will be affected, plus all of those in Wales except one and across northern ireland. Unions must ballot staff to prove a majority favour action on a turnout of at least 50 per cent.

The RCn has suspended action in scotland after the government there made an improved pay offer.

The union said the number of nHs employers affected will increase in January in other home nations unless further negotiations are held. it failed to give a reason for not striking at all locations nor explained how it had decided which places should strike now and which should wait.

Pat Cullen, RCn general secretary and chief executive, said: ‘Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations ... it has left us with no choice but to announce where our members will be going on strike in December...

‘Ministers still have the power and the means to stop this by opening negotiations that address our dispute.’

The announcement came a day after nHs chief executive amanda Pritchard admitted care will have to be postponed as a result of the strikes.

Health secretary steve Barclay said: ‘the RCn’s demands, which on current figures are a 19.2 per cent pay rise costing £10billion a year, are not affordable.’

■ the number of nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered to work in the UK has grown by nearly 2 per cent in a year to a record 771,445, figures show.

The growth is being driven by professionals educated abroad, though the overall number of newly registered UK-educated nurses remains slightly higher.