When do nurses go on strike and how will it affect me?

The strikes in December and January affected hospitals across the country and now more strikes are due to take place in England this week.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has confirmed its members in England are backing out in disputes over pay and patient safety.

But when exactly do the nurses go on strike and how do the strikes affect the public?

Here’s everything you need to know.

When do nurses go on strike?

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in England will pounce Monday 6th February and Tuesday 7th February.

The first round of strikes took place on December 15-20 after negotiations between the union and the health minister failed to reach an agreement.

RCN Secretary-General Pat Cullen described the prime minister’s position at the impasse as “confusing, reckless and politically ill-considered”.

Ministers are now pushing for new legislation requiring minimum service on strike days. These would take around six months to pass through Parliament.

Further strikes took place on January 18th and 19th.

Why are nurses on strike?

The RCN has said NHS nurses have suffered a 20 per cent pay cut in real terms since 2010.

The union is campaigning for a 5% wage increase above inflation to help nurses overcome real pay cuts, support nurses through the cost of living crisis and recognize their critical skills.

There are also record job vacancies in nursing: 25,000 nursing staff resigned last year.

New data released by the NHS shows that in December more than 54,500 patients in England faced emergency department waits of more than 12 hours before being admitted – the highest since August 2010, when the data began.

Patricia Marquis, RCN director for England, said: “Some of what we’re hearing from the front line is incredible.

“Corridor maintenance seems to have become the norm. Some nurses are posted to work in hospital corridors.

“The government has had months and months to address this but has not acted. They must backtrack on years of underinvestment in nursing, starting with an immediate pay rise.

“Nursing means saying enough is enough and standing up for your patients. The strikes are a protest against unsafe care.”

However, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he deeply regrets that some union members voted to go on strike.

Mr Barclay added that the union was “out of step” with the UK’s economic situation and the RCN’s demands were not “reasonable or affordable”.

Which NHS trusts are taking part in strike action?

RCN members from around 71 NHS trusts in England are to resign.

Strikes have been suspended in Scotland to allow further talks following proposals from the Scottish Government – and the Welsh Government has presented a salary offer, meaning the February strikes in Wales have been called off at the time of writing.

The RCN does not plan strikes in Northern Ireland, where there is no executive.

The care strikes will inevitably limit the level of care the NHS can provide.

However, ensuring that emergency services and A&E services continue to run will be a priority.

Hospitals offer weekend or holiday care.

Non-urgent surgeries are postponed, as are outpatient visits and sessions of chemotherapy and kidney dialysis.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, called planned strikes “unacceptable” because they would disrupt patient care.

However, he did not criticize the nurses or the union, instead blaming ministers for their lack of negotiation with the RCN.

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents most NHS organisations, said there were plans in place to minimize the impact on patients, but warned the strikes pose a “challenge” to healthcare and NHS leaders would.

He said: “We are already tackling the gap that exists between public demand for the health service. We have to meet that need and we all know that we are heading for an already very difficult winter.

“Then we add industrial action and it becomes an extremely difficult task. The priority will be to try to minimize patient harm.’

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