Call for resolution on nurses’ pay before they strike
HEALTH bosses in Derbyshire are calling for NHS chiefs to come to an agreement with their nurses after they voted for strike action over pay.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing have now voted to strike across the country for the first time in its history.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) balloted its 300,000 NHS members, and the majority have now voted in favour of taking the action. It is the first time it has happened in the organisation’s 106-year history.
The strike action is expected before Christmas and the ballot was carried out at a service level, meaning nurses at each hospital have to clear a 50 per cent turnout threshold to be able to strike.
The Uk-wide walkout will be the first of its kind, with RCN general secretary Pat Cullen calling it a “once in a generation chance to improve your pay and combat staff shortages” that put patients at risk.
In Derbyshire and Burton, those affected include the East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB (Joined Up Care Derbyshire), Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust.
West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust is not among those affected.
Joined Up Care Derbyshire is a collaboration between health and care providers across the county and city, including NHS providers such as the University Hospital of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, meaning Queen’s Hospital in Burton and the Royal Derby are among hospitals that are part of the system.
A Joined Up Care Derbyshire spokesman said: “Whilst this is a national dispute between the Government and the trade unions, across Derby and Derbyshire we value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on supporting our NHS organisations to deliver the highest quality of care to all those who need it.”
The strikes could take place later this year and possibly over Christmas. In total, 130 NHS trusts have chosen to strike in England, 12 in Wales, 23 in Scotland and 11 in Northern Ireland.
The world’s largest nursing trade union and professional body will now pressure MPS to support their local striking nurses as polling shows support for the action is growing. The rules around the ballot mean that technically strikes take place on a trust by trust basis, but the college has said it is looking at ways they could be coordinated.
It has previously made clear critical and lifesaving care will not be affected. The Government said it has contingency plans for dealing with any industrial action by nurses amid the growing threat of widespread strikes in the NHS.