Hospitals are bracing for “abnormally low” staffing levels in parts of the country as nurses strike, NHS England has warned.
Officials said the number of canceled meetings due to union action this public holiday weekend is likely to reach half a million.
The non-emergency strike by members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is taking place from 8:00 pm Sunday to 11:59 pm Monday after a High Court judge ruled union action would continue as originally planned until Tuesday. Health Secretary Steve Barclay secured an interim court order after suing part of a union-proposed strike in a long-standing wage dispute.
As the NHS prepares for the holiday weekend and the aftermath of the strike, NHS England is urging the public to use healthcare wisely. It said emergency and emergency care will remain a priority and encouraged people to use other services such as pharmacies and 111 where possible. Nurses make up a quarter of the NHS workforce and make up the bulk of the healthcare workforce.
The RCN said it would only agree to exemptions upon request – areas where unions are willing to provide staff during union action, meaning most critical care nurses, emergency rooms and cancer patients will go on strike for the first time during the current round of strikes.
The union said it expects NHS employers to review their services and focus on providing “life-saving assistance” but will work with the NHS to deal with “extreme circumstances” on strike days.
NHS England said the health service and the RCN are “trying to agree on action from organization to organization when there is a critical risk to patient safety”. But he warned that the labor force in some parts of the country would be “exceptionally low, lower than previous strike days.”
Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “Health leaders are hard at work finalizing their plans ahead of the most dramatic strike action the RCN has yet to mount without national exceptions.
“While the strike will be a day shorter than originally planned, a disruption is still expected and therefore we hope RCN officials at the local level will allow their members to cross the picket line in a life-threatening emergency.”
He said health leaders were “waiting with bated breath” to understand the collective voice of the NHS Staff Council, made up of health workers’ unions, employers and government officials, who are meeting on Tuesday to discuss the government’s 5 percent wage proposal.
“With waiting lists and staff burnout at such a high level, they are keen to see the disruption caused by union action end with a funded wage agreement that will satisfy the majority, and the government reaffirms its support for the NHS with a workforce strategy that will help consider 124 000 vacancies across the service,” Mr. Taylor said.
NHS England Deputy Head Charlotte McArdle said: “This is likely to have a significant impact on local services over public holiday weekends. We are now entering our sixth month of strikes in the NHS and this is having a cumulative impact on staff who have been hard at work providing safe patient care during an incredibly challenging time.
“We understand that every postponed appointment impacts the lives of individuals and their families, further adding to the strain on already overworked staff.
“If you don’t need emergency care, I would, as always, advise people to use services such as pharmacies and 111 online, and if you have a life-threatening emergency, seek help in the usual way by dialing 999. Important: if with you have not been contacted otherwise, please come to meetings as planned.”
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.