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Nurses’ strike: all the news from today’s picket lines

Nurses holding placards take to picket lines as first strike begins over pay and staffing, with RMT and postal workers showing their support
Pat Cullen on picket line

Nurses holding placards take to picket lines as first strike begins over pay and staffing, with RMT and postal workers showing their support

Pat Cullen on the picket line at St Thomas’ Hospital. Picture: John Houlihan

Overwhelming support from patients, public and NHS colleagues as first day of strike action draws to a close

Tens of thousands of nurses have braved icy temperatures to attend picket lines across England, Northern Ireland and Wales today.

Wrapped up warm and holding placards saying ‘Staff shortages cost lives’ and ‘It’s time to pay nurses fairly’ nurses continued their fight for fair pay and better working conditions.

While the atmosphere was described as ‘electric’ and positive by many, the message remained that nurses are at breaking point and cannot continue working as they are.

As this historic day for nurses comes to a close, we leave our readers with a reminder that many NHS colleagues, patients and the public are behind them all the way.

Here’s a few of our favourite pictures from the picket lines today.


5.15pm

Belfast

'Tough cookies' on the picket line praised for compassion and kindness

Nurses in Belfast joined the picket lines along with colleagues in England and Wales for today’s historic day of strikes, as nurses walked out in Northern Ireland for the second time in three years.

Nurse Michael Rooney tweeted a picture of his strike bag, which included thick socks, a water bottle and his RCN fair pay for nursing t-shirt.

‘Last time the rain lashed, this time it’s cold. Nurses are tough cookies, we can deal with anything. Those that can endure the most will win,’ he said.

Pictures on social media showed dozens of members outside the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust with nurses holding signs that said ‘Some cuts don’t heal,’ and ‘Be fair to those who care.’

Brenda Gough from Belfast tweeted her support for nurses following the care and compassion they showed her dying mother.

She said: ‘The final week of my mums life was one of the most difficult of times. Nurses wrapped me in kindness, compassion and support, helping me through each day.’


5pm

‘Safe staffing was maintained’

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor has put out a statement following the first day of the RCN strike, saying patient safety was the number one priority in the NHS today.

‘The first RCN strike has gone as expected, with the NHS being able to maintain safe staffing levels across key services for patients and making sure that urgent and life-saving care have been prioritised,’ he said.

‘No health leader wanted to be in this situation and the strikes could have been avoided had the government attempted to find more common ground with the RCN on pay. The government cannot just sit back and let future strikes happen when patient care is on the line.

‘The worry is that this is just the start, that strikes possibly being planned for January could be more severe and coordinated across the different unions, and that we could be in a position of stalemate for the foreseeable future. This benefits no one and the government must act.’


4.40pm

Newcastle and Gateshead

Bobble hats, earmuffs and mince pies on the picket line

Members of the public delivered mince pies to Geordie nurses striking in the north east today, as local reports showed more than 100 people gathered outside Newcastle Royal Infirmary by midday.

Another former patient who survived a serious car accident tweeted his support for the strike today saying that ‘you deserve so much better.’

Eddy Graham wrote: ‘I had a serious car accident in 2017 and was taken to Gateshead QE some of those nurses who are on strike today helped save my life.’

The National Education Union also joined nurses on the picket line at Gateshead at dawn, with members braving the freezing temperatures in earmuffs and bobble hats.


4.30pm

John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford

‘Energy and passion of these nurses is evident’

The picket lines in Oxford were still going strong this afternoon, with some 30 nurses outside John Radcliffe Hospital.

Saly Raju, Prashant Yerragudla and Anoop Joy

Senior reporter Shruti Sheth Trivedi attended the picket line: ‘The energy and passion of these nurses is evident, as is the support from members of the public who have been honking and bringing by loads of treats.’

Children’s research nurse at John Radcliffe Hospital, Sarah Clews, said: ‘Going on to the wards and seeing how low the morale is at the moment, how they’re struggling to find staff and just trying to keep positive is heart-breaking.’

Becky Lawson, also a children’s research nurse at the hospital, added: ‘We in the NHS are already on our knees and crumbling, it’s going to be non-existent by the time we retire, there’s going to be no one to replace us.’

Elsewhere in Oxford nurses, were picketing outside Churchill Hospital.

Respiratory nurse at Churchill Hospital in Oxford Carmine Ruggiero said nurses’ pay had been eroded over years.

‘They talk about pay being this kind of lightening rod and this trope of 19%, but [this is about] the chipping away of the working conditions, nursing students, staffing levels, the cutbacks – and this has been going on since 2010.

‘The NHS runs on goodwill, it unacceptably relies on nurses doing extra hours and that masks a lot of the issues with the NHS. Understandably nurses are leaving and it’s creaking – I can’t see it carrying on with the level of attrition we have.’


4.10pm

Royal Marsden Hospital, London

‘Nurses are overworked, underpaid and not appreciated’

The Royal Marsden in Chelsea is among the London picket lines today. Chants of ‘What do we want? Safe staffing. When do we want it? Now’ still going strong.

Picture: John Houlihan

Once again nurses were clear that this historic strike is about more than pay, but at the same time many are struggling to make ends meet.

‘We have to feed our families too, we have to support our families and this profession,’ said Rati, an international nurse on the picket line.

‘Those who are going to college are not really enticed to come into nursing anymore because nurses are always overworked, underpaid and not appreciated.’


3.20pm

‘Fantastic atmosphere’ of solidarity

The sun was shining on the picket lines of Leeds this afternoon as scores of nurses turned out to demand better pay and staffing for nursing in Leeds.

Nurses reported a ‘fantastic atmosphere’ of solidarity outside the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), where striking RCN members gathered on this historic day.

One nurse, Emma Smith, tweeted: ‘Great turnout at the LGI in Leeds for the Nurses Strike. Many other unions out in solidarity. I spoke to a few people and no one WANTS to be there, but they feel they have to.’

Videos on social media show an RCN representative speaking to the crowd on a megaphone, while drivers were honking their horns in support as they drove past.

Journalist Cathy Newman from Channel 4 News joined the picket line in Leeds to interview nurses about their ‘heart-rending stories’ and said that a number had brought their dogs and babies along for the day.


3pm

‘Get them the pay rise they deserve’

Celebrities have thrown their wholehearted support behind nurses in their fight for fairer pay.

Comedian Rob Delaney, whose two-year-old son Henry died following two years of treatment for a brain tumour, attended the strike at Great Ormond Street. He tweeted: ‘Austerity is a choice so change your mind or get in the bin.’

Comedian Tommy Cannon, half of the Cannon and Ball comedy duo, said nurses ‘deserve the world’ for what they did during the pandemic.


2.20pm

Powys, Wales

‘We are losing nurses hand over fist and the Welsh Government is not listening’

Nurses in Wales braced -10oC temperatures at picket lines in Powys to stand in solidarity with fellow striking nurses across the UK ‘and fight for the survival of the NHS’.

RCN Wales associate director Nicky Hughes stood under a statue of Welsh politician and founder of the NHS Aneurian Bevan to address members in a video.

She said: ‘Today is a historic day for the RCN and our members who are fighting for the survival of the NHS. In the 106 years that the RCN has been in place we’ve never even contemplated going out on strike. But enough is enough and our nurses are ready to take on the fight to ensure safe care for the people in our care to make sure the profession is valued for the work they do.

‘We are losing nurses hand over fist and the Welsh Government is not listening. We are doing the final thing we can which is going on strike today to get the Welsh Government to step up and take notice.’

Nurses from the Prince of Wales hospital in Bridgend also formed a picket line in the freezing temperatures to strike in Wales for the first time.


1.50pm

Yorkshire and Humber

Homemade tea and cakes for picket line nurses

Tea and cakes on nurses' picket line in Yorkshire and Humber
Picture: Rehana Azam

More than 300 RCN members are at Leeds General Infirmary picket line, with placards reading ‘will there be enough staff when you need care?’

Members could be heard chanting; ‘What do we want? Safe Staffing! When do we want it? Now!’

Nurses and supports braved the snow and icy conditions to be on the picket line from early morning and were bolstered by drivers tooting as they passed by.

Supporters also brought tea, cake and chocolates to Chapel Allerton Hospital picket line.


1.20pm

Colleagues stand in solidarity with nurses

Across the NHS doctors have been tweet their support for nurses as they fight for fairer pay and working conditions.

Nurses were described as ‘most compassionate, dedicated, tireless, brilliant colleagues’.

Here’s what they had to say:


12.45pm

Bristol Royal Infirmary

Nurses briefly leave picket line to give emergency care

Dozens of nurses joined the picket line outside Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) this morning for a ‘historic and sad day’ of strike action.

Staff at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust held ‘Fair Pay for Nursing’ placards as they said many nurses had quit since the pandemic.

Nurses on strike outside Bristol Royal Infirmary

Debbie Skallebaek, a nurse of 40 years who works as a bank nurse in intensive care at the BRI said: ‘There’s a lot of support here. It’s a historic and sad day. Nurses have never walked out before. Patients are very supportive too – they really understand that we are at breaking point.’

‘We have seen a lot of people leave after COVID. European nurses who were burnt out went to work looking after COVID patients in Aruba where they are paid a fortune. People are fed up with the shift patterns here.’

Ms Skallebaek said she is often called upon to cover gaps on shifts when the trust doesn’t want to pay agency fees and said while bank band 5 nurses get paid £16.85, agency rates are £39 per hour.

Meanwhile, some other nurses reportedly briefly broke from the picket line after a man collapsed outside the entrance to the hospital. The nurses attended to the patient, put him in the recovery position until emergency staff carried him into the hospital on a spinal board. The nurses then returned to the picket line.


12.10pm

Great Ormond Street Hospital picket line

Parents show support for nurses at London children's hospital

Dozens of nurses and supporters were at Great Ormond Street in central London.

Nurses on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital, London

Parents taking their children into the hospital voiced their support for those taking industrial action and passing cars beeped to bolster spirits.

Ward sister Vicky Gately said nurses had received positive feedback from patients and families. ‘They understand why we are striking and are supportive. The public know why we are doing it. At some point, everyone will need to use the NHS and they know we are doing it to protect patient safety.

‘Nurses can’t afford to pay bills any more. We have been underpaid for a decade and we can’t take it anymore. It’s equivalent of working one day a week for free. We are trying our best, but clapping doesn’t pay any bills. Nurses are making so many sacrifices and at what point is that okay? Enough is enough.

‘Nurses are a trusted profession, people believe what we are saying. We are at breaking point.’

Striking nurses at Great Ormond Street were supported by ICU nursing staff who were not taking part in today’s industrial action.

Nurses and their representatives on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
ICU nurses were represented on the Great Ormond Street picket line as they are exempt from strike action

11.30am

Royal Berkshire Hospital picket line

RCN's Pat Cullen joins striking nurses

Some 30 nurses were on the picket line this morning at Royal Berkshire Hospital, the second stop of RCN general secretary Pat Cullen’s strike tour today.

Nurses from the Royal Berkshire Hospital join the picket line (left to right): Linda Viju; Bindu Anil; Olinda Pinto; Claire Forno; and Kayleigh Sloman
Nurses from the Royal Berkshire Hospital join the picket line (left to right):
Linda Viju; Bindu Anil; Olinda Pinto; Claire Forno; and Kayleigh Sloman

The atmosphere was electric, but the message remained serious: nurses need better pay to improve working conditions and patient safety.

Nurses said the government’s refusal to enter into pay negotiations felt like ‘a slap in the face’.

Critical care nurse Karen Gerber told Nursing Standard that without a better pay deal it will be hard to encourage more nurses into the profession.

‘Who wants to come into a career where you spend 12 plus hours on your feet and don’t get a break and you can’t deliver the care that you want to, the safety critical care we need for patients,’ she said.

‘What future is there for nursing? It’s not about pay, it’s about keeping patients safe. I might be a patient one day, my family might be patients. We want to be looked after properly.’

Trauma and orthopaedic advance theatre nurse Sophia Satchell added: ‘It’s difficult to retain staff in my department. A lot of staff feel undervalued, we work under immense pressure and don’t feel appreciated. It’s a highly rewarding job, but very tough.’

Ms Cullen was met with cheers as she approached the picket line while drivers honked their horns in solidarity with nurses.

She had a message for Nursing Standard readers: ‘Thank you for your courage, your determination to keep fighting for the health service. I will keep fighting for you.’


10.50am

St Mary’s Hospital London

RMT union’s Mick Lynch shows support for nurses

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch, whose wife is a nurse, has joined the picket line at St Mary’s Hospital in London to show his support for nurses. St Mary’s is one of six hospitals in London with picket lines today.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch joins nurses at St Mary's Hospital in London

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland postal workers have also shown support for nurses.

RCN trade union committee chair Denise Kelly tweeted that nurses and postal workers were standing ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in solidarity.

Nurses on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London chant for ‘fair pay’ for nurses in the freezing temperatures.

A video posted by Keep our NHS Public shows dozens of nurses joining together to call ‘what do we want? Fair pay! When do we want it? Now!’


7.00am
Nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking to picket lines this morning as they walk out for the first time over pay and patient safety concerns.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen was at St Thomas’ Hospital in London first thing this morning to support nurses, sharing hugs and kind words.

‘Nurses are not relishing this, we are acting with a very heavy heart,’ she said. ‘It is a tragic first for nursing, the RCN and the NHS. Nursing staff on picket lines is a sign of failure on the part of governments.’

In the brisk cold and before the sun was up nurses stood with placards reading ‘Staff shortages cost lives’ and ‘It’s time to pay nurses fairly’ as they continue their fight for better pay and working conditions.

Nurses on the picket line had a clear message for the government: ‘Stop burying your head in the sand, listen to us.’

Mary-Jo, a paediatric allergy clinical nurse specialist, told Nursing Standard: ‘Morale is at an all-time low and post-COVID retention of staff is at an all-time low.

‘If you think of newly qualified nurses or student nurses, the cost of living in London on a newly qualified nurse wage, you’re probably just barely paying rent and bills and feeding yourself.

‘We’re doing this to try and save the NHS and try to provide the best patient care.’

Linda, a critical care nurse, said: ‘Nursing generally is a difficult job and we’re always doing it on the borderline of safe or unsafe staffing. We’re not trying to say that every single patient that comes into hospital is unsafe, but it feels unsafe a lot of the time because you know it wouldn’t take very much to tip you over to a point where it’s far more difficult to cope.’

Early morning commuters showed their support for nurses, tooting horns and stopping to say hello on their way to work.

Are you on the picket line today? Share your pictures on Twitter @NurseStandard or tag us on Instagram at @nursing_standard

Today’s strike will last between 7am to 7pm at trusts and care boards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. RCN members in Scotland are currently voting on the Scottish Government’s ‘final’ pay offer of around 8%.


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