06 February 2023 , 09:13
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Exhausted nurses fear they are witnessing the demise of the NHS as anger grows at the Government’s failure to tackle the crisis.
Despite the biggest ever NHS strike, Health Secretary Steve Barclay played down the scale of industrial action on the first day nurses and ambulance staff walked out at the same time.
Talking at a picket line, A&E nurse Mark Boothroyd, 37, told the Mirror: “It feels like we are seeing the collapse of the NHS and the nursing profession.
“I’ve been nursing for 10 years and every year conditions have worsened.
“Inflation has driven pay down 20%. More and more nurses are leaving the profession. It’s at breaking point.”
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
Nurses say they are seeing the 'demise' of the NHS (PA)A colleague speaking outside St Thomas’ Hospital in South London, Ben Trenwith, 31, said: “We want the respect our profession deserves.”
A&E sister Jessica Turnbull, 31, said every shift ends with “someone in tears” and “there’s assaults daily”.
Community matron Kafeelat Adekunle, 57, said: “Nurses going to foodbanks and borrowing money from relatives… that is unacceptable. It’s so wrong.”
The Royal College of Nursing started its first 48-hour strike – involving 30,000 nurses – as 11,500 ambulance workers walked out too.
"The Westminster government has failed to act," the RCN said (PA)
Nurses striking on a Royal College of Nursing union picket line at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, East Sussex (Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)The RCN, paramedics’ union GMB and the Royal College of Midwives have put strikes in Wales on hold to consider an improved 7.5% pay rise by the Welsh government.
But Mr Barclay has refused to reopen the issue of the 4.5% pay settlement for England.
Jane Matthews, 66, a nurse at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, said her pay has risen less than £1.50 a week in seven years.
Striking nurses in Wigan today (Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)On the picket line outside Bristol Royal Infirmary, she added she has been working 12-hour shifts with no breaks on wards that are only 40% staffed.
She said: “I find it a challenge to come into work any more.”
Action was also taken at sites such as the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Saffron Cordery, chief of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, urged ministers to negotiate a pay settlement.
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International NHS workers are vital to keeping staffing shortages to a minimum, but many are leaving (Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)She added ambulance staff and nurses striking at the same time “will have a knock-on effect on patients”.
The RCN escalated its campaign with strikes at 73 NHS trusts in England.
Its chief Pat Cullen said: “This Government has chosen to punish the nurses of England instead of getting round a table and talking to me about pay.
Royal Collecge of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen on the picket line outside Great Ormond Street Hospital in London during a strike by nurses and ambulance staff (Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire)"Rishi Sunak can choose to have talks over strikes.”
Nurses and ambulance workers went on strike at around half the trusts in England and Northern Ireland.
Mr Barclay said: “The majority of trusts are not on strike. This is a minority of trusts where strike action is being taken.”
Nurses will strike over February 6 and 7 (PA)Nurses will walk out again today amid an unprecedented week of NHS strikes. The Tories want staff to focus on pay for next year.
Mr Barclay said: “We should be looking forward to the pay review body that is taking evidence now and working constructively with the unions.”
Workers on the picket line outside St Mary's Hospital in London this morning (PA)Sharon Graham, of the Unite union, said the Tories “can’t always sing ‘la la la la la’ and hope the year goes by and we’ll forget what’s happened”.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting slammed the Tories for failing to negotiate. He said: “It looks like the Prime Minister and the Health Secretary are the ones on strike.”