Patients told to expect widespread disruption as nurses strike

Patients are being warned to expect wide disruption to services connected Wednesday and Thursday, arsenic nurses signifier much strikes successful England.

About 1 retired of each 4 hospitals and assemblage services volition beryllium affected by the walkouts, by Royal College of Nursing members, implicit the 2 days.

It comes aft 2 days of strikes earlier Christmas successful the wage dispute.

As required nether commercialized national laws, exigency attraction volition beryllium covered during the walkouts from 08:00 to 20:00.

It volition mean services specified arsenic chemotherapy, kidney dialysis and intensive attraction volition beryllium provided.

The biggest disruption is apt to beryllium successful pre-booked attraction specified arsenic hernia repair, hep replacements oregon outpatient clinics, on with assemblage nursing. During past month's onslaught action, thousands of treatments and appointments had to beryllium rescheduled.

But GP practices volition tally arsenic normal, arsenic nurses moving successful those services are not progressive successful the onslaught action.

Saffron Cordery, of NHS Providers, which represents NHS services, said the standard of the walkout and the information it was implicit 2 consecutive days meant it would astir apt person "greater impact".

"We're expecting wide disruption," she said. "It volition beryllium felt connected the time arsenic good successful the days that follow."

Matthew Taylor, main enforcement of the NHS Confederation, warned that without a wage woody patients would look the effects of a "prolonged warfare of attrition betwixt the authorities and the unions".

"We've been saying for weeks that the onslaught enactment couldn't person travel astatine a much hard clip for the NHS," helium told the PA quality agency. "But we hoped a compromise would beryllium reached by present to bring an extremity to the impasse."

RCN wide caput Pat Cullen said nurses regretted the impact.

But she added: "People aren't dying due to the fact that nurses are striking. Nurses are striking due to the fact that radical are dying. That is however terrible things are successful the NHS and it is clip the premier curate led a combat for its future.

"Today's grounds fig of unfilled caregiver jobs cannot beryllium near to get worse. Pay nursing unit reasonably to crook this astir and springiness the nationalist the attraction they deserve."

Clint Cooper, a caregiver for astir 30 years, volition transverse the picket enactment connected Wednesday to enactment connected a heart-care ward astatine Scarborough Hospital, successful North Yorkshire, portion afloat supporting his striking colleagues.

"I judge successful the rule of what my colleagues are doing," helium says, "but I voted 'No', arsenic I cannot locomotion retired and permission my patients.

'Last week, I had 2 patients who were precise poorly and I wonderment if I hadn't been determination and escalated it, would they inactive beryllium alive, if I had walked retired - that's my conscience talking to me."

Nevertheless, the authorities needs to find the wealth for a bigger wage rise, Mr Cooper says.

'I'm a Tory elector - I person voted for them astatine each predetermination isolated from 1 - but I can't ballot for them again," helium says. "The NHS is successful crisis.

'This is not conscionable astir pay, it is astir the aboriginal of the NHS. Nurses don't privation clapping. They privation the resources to bash their job. They are highly skilled and they are the backbone of the NHS.'

The RCN has asked for a wage emergence of 5% supra the Retail Prices Index (RPI) complaint of inflation, which presently stands astatine 14%.

The governments successful England and Wales person fixed NHS unit an mean of 4.75%, with everyone guaranteed astatine slightest £1,400 - arsenic recommended by the autarkic NHS Pay Review Body.

Talks person been held betwixt the RCN and different NHS unions and Health Secretary Steve Barclay.

Government sources said determination would beryllium nary question connected this year's wage grant but ministers are considering backdating the 2023-24 emergence to January. It would usually footwear successful in April.

Mr Barclay said helium had had "constructive talks" with the RCN and looked guardant to continuing the dialogue.

The RCN, which represents astir two-thirds of nurses, balloted much than 300,000 crossed idiosyncratic NHS trusts and boards alternatively than successful a single, nationalist vote.

This means immoderate nurses are not entitled to instrumentality concern action, due to the fact that the turnout successful their section country was excessively low.

The RCN has a mandate successful astir fractional of the 209 services successful England. The 55 affected this week are antithetic from the 44 targeted earlier Christmas.

While this week's enactment involves nurses successful England only, past month's included those successful Northern Ireland and Wales.

The RCN has warned it volition clasp its biggest walkout yet connected 6 and 7 February unless the authorities moves connected pay, involving a 3rd of services successful England and each but 1 wellness committee successful Wales.

Ambulance unit and physiotherapists besides program to onslaught successful the coming weeks.

Are you a nurse? Have you voted connected onslaught action? Share your experiences. Email HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk.

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