As reported by the BBC, a host of leading hospitals will be affected in next month’s nurse strikes, the Royal College of Nursing says
They include Great Ormond Street and Alder Hey children’s hospitals and leading cancer centres.
Overall, around a quarter of hospitals and community services in England and nearly all those in Northern Ireland and Wales will see nurses walkout on 15 and 20 December.
Emergency care will continue to be provided during the strike action.
In total, 76 NHS organisations will see nurses walk out.
They include leading cancer centres the Royal Marsden and Liverpool’s Clatterbridge centre alongside major hospitals in Birmingham, London, Liverpool, Newcastle and West Yorkshire.
All the health boards in Northern Ireland and all-but-one in Wales, the Aneurin Bevan, will see strike action take place.
Meanwhile, Unison has announced ambulance staff including paramedics and call handlers, have voted to strike in five of England’s 10 ambulance services. A walkout is expected before Christmas.
Turnout was too low in the remainder for the votes to count, as well as in all but two of England’s hospital and community trusts.
No services in Wales voted for strike action, but a walkout will happen across all services in Northern Ireland on 12 December, Unison said.
Overall, up to 100,000 nurses could be involved in the nurse walkout the RCN says, which would amount to about a quarter of nurses in those three nations.
The RCN warned the government if a deal could not be agreed more services would be involved in the strike action next year.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “Ministers have declined my offer of formal pay negotiations and instead chosen strike action.
“It has left us with no choice. Nursing is standing up for the profession and their patients.
“We’ve had enough of being taken for granted and being unable to provide the care patients deserve.”
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