Your questions answered about striking nurses

Nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are to stage the first national walkout on Thursday.

The PA news agency has answered key questions about the strike:

– Why are nurses striking?

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) balloted its members over industrial action in a dispute over pay.

It has argued that low pay is driving “chronic understaffing” which puts patients at risk and leaves nursing staff overworked, underpaid and undervalued.

– Is there really a crisis in the workforce?

The number of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK has grown to a record level – some 771,445 were on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in September.

But separate figures from NHS Digital show there were a record 47,496 full-time equivalent nursing vacancies in England at the end of September, representing a vacancy rate of 11.9%.

– How many nurses will be on strike?

Tens of thousands of nurses are to take part in the walk out – originally it was anticipated that up to 100,000 would strike but this figure changed due to the various “derogations” which have occurred in recent weeks where nurses have agreed to provide certain services during strike days.

– When will the strikes take place?

The strikes are scheduled for Thursday December 15 and Tuesday December 20, although not all organisations taking part are participating on both days.

– What happens if I’m sick?

People who need emergency or urgent care will still get help. The strikes will affect other elements of care but people will have been contacted in advance to be told of changes to pre-planned care and encouraged to attend appointments unless they have been instructed otherwise. GP surgeries and pharmacies will be running as normal.

– What has the Royal College of Nursing asked for?

The Royal College of Nursing asked for a 12.5% uplift in pay in 2020. Somewhere during the dispute it was claimed that nurses wanted a “5% above inflation rise” – presumably when inflation was 7.5% or thereabouts.

– So what has been offered?

The independent Pay Review Body recommended that the majority of NHS staff on the so-called Agenda for Change contracts are to be given a £1,400 uplift in pay.

The Nuffield Trust has estimated that this is the equivalent to an average of 4.3% rise for qualified nurses.

The RCN has previously said that despite this year’s pay award, experienced nurses are worse off by 20% in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.

– What has the Government said?

The Government accepted the recommendation by the pay review body.

And it has said that union demands are “not affordable” in the current economic climate, pointing out that each additional 1% pay rise for all staff on the Agenda for Change contract would cost around £700 million a year. Although the Pay Review Body estimates that each 1% increase in pay adds around £500.5 million to the Agenda for Change pay bill in England, £29.5 million in Northern Ireland and £37.5 million in Wales.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that using October’s RPI inflation data, a 5% above inflation rise would equate to a pay rise of 19.2%.

It said that uplifting pay for all staff on the Agenda for Change contract – which also includes staff such as midwives, ambulance workers, porters and cleaners – by 19.2%, instead of the existing pay award, would cost “around an additional £10 billion”.

Officials have said that this would hamper the NHS’s efforts in tackling the record backlog of care.

But the RCN has not specifically asked for a 19.2% pay uplift.

A separate pay offer has been made in Scotland.

– What has the NHS said:

Officials in England have said that they would like to see a resolution to the dispute as soon as possible “but pay is a matter for the Government and the trade unions”.

– Where will the strikes take place?

Not every hospital will be affected by strike action. Here is the official list of trusts and NHS organisations taking part, released by the RCN.

England
East Midlands
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Eastern
Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

London
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
Guys and St Thomas NHS Foundation Trust
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
NHS North Central London ICB
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

North West
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

Northern
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

South East
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

South West
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Bath, North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB (BSW Together)
NHS Devon ICB (One Devon)
NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire)
North Bristol NHS Trust
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust

West Midlands
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB)
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Yorkshire & Humber
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

National employers
Health Education England
NHS England

Northern Ireland
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
Northern Health and Social Care Trust
Western Health and Social Care Trust
Southern Health and Social Care Trust
South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council
Business Services Organisation
Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority
Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
Public Health Agency
Northern Ireland Ambulance Service

Wales
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Powys Teaching Local Health Board
Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters
Hywel Dda University Health Board
Swansea Bay University Health Board
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board
Velindre NHS Trust
Public Health Wales
Health Education and Improvement Wales Health Authority
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership
Digital Health and Care Wales