FEBRUARY 6TH, DON’T FALL SICK

By Leila

On the 6th February, ambulance staff and nurses will take strike action in what will be the biggest NHS walkout in history, and the first time that ambulance staff and the RCN will strike on the same day.

In England and Wales, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will be striking on the 6th and 7th February following the refusal of the UK and Welsh governments to negotiate on the current year’s NHS pay deal. The RCN’s General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen stated that nurses are striking “in a desperate bid to get ministers to rescue the NHS.” He goes on to state that “patient care is suffering like never before” and that the only solution is to “address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs.”

Rachel Harrison, the GMB National Secretary has said “Our message to the government is clear – talk pay now.” In addition to this strike, more than 10,000 GMB ambulance workers will be staging national strikes on the 20th February and the 6th and 20th March.

But what do these strikes mean for patient care?

At University College Hospital in London there are typically around twenty or more operations carried out each day in a specialist surgical centre. However, during the strikes these operating theatres are desolate. Routine care is likely to be badly affected during the strikes and the fact that the strikes (for nurses only) will occur over two consecutive days means they will have an even greater impact.

The RCN states that during their strikes they will “maintain life-preserving services through derogations” which means emergency care will not be affected. In terms of ambulance staff, unions have agreed to respond to all category one calls, which involve the most lifethreatening conditions such as cardiac arrest. However, Dr Adrian Boyle (president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine) has encouraged people to drive suspected stroke victims to hospital, as strokes and chest pain are classified as category two incidents.

Both ambulance staff and nurses are striking for better pay and for the government to rescue the NHS. Currently, governments in England and Wales have given NHS staff an average pay rise of 4.75%, with a guaranteed minimum of £1,400. Though this is less than half the rate of inflation, the government has made clear that it is not willing to make moves on this year’s pay award. Rishi Sunak said his government wants “constructive dialogue” with trade unions but that they must ensure “conversations are based on what’s reasonable.”