Nurses will strike again in the New Year, with chaos planned on back-to-back days.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will stage more walkouts on January 18 and 19. Even more dates will be confirmed next month.
Almost 30,000 operations and appointments were cancelled because of its strikes on December 15 and 20, which were the biggest in NHS history.
Meanwhile, next week’s ambulance walkouts have been cancelled.
Striking nurses at Leeds General Infirmary mocked Health Secretary Steve Barclay with a rendition of Santa Clause Is Coming To Town while on the picket line on December 20
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) General Secretary Pat Cullen, centre, joined members of the RCN on the picket line outside the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on December 20
Thousands of paramedics and ambulance staff represented by GMB were preparing to strike again on December 28.
But the union — one of three to take part in the strike on December 20, the biggest 999 walkout in 30 years — said it had U-turned because it was ‘overwhelmed’ by the ‘incredible British public’.
Instead, it has declared a new strike date of January 11 — the same day that a separate union, Unison, has already agreed to take action.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary said: ‘People across the country have been wonderful in backing us and we care so much about them too. We know the public will appreciate being able to enjoy Christmas without any additional anxiety. They support us and we support them.’
Meanwhile, Unison has confirmed plans for even more disruption in January with two bigger ambulance walkouts.
Members in five services in England will strike on January 11 and 23. The action will involve all employees — not just 999 crews, as was the case on Wednesday.
Unite, the third union behind this week’s ambulance walkouts, confirmed staff in Wales will strike in January, too.
Unions want inflation-busting pay rises, with the RCN demanding 19 per cent.
Its boss has, however, said she will compromise if ministers were willing to negotiate.
But the Government has refused to stump up any extra cash, sticking to its original offer of around 4 per cent.
Members of the RCN on the picket line outside St Thomas’ Hospital on December 20
Some 4,560 inpatient procedures were rescheduled because of the RCN action over the two days. This includes routine procedures such as hip and knee replacements, which require an overnight stay in hospital. Another 25,000 outpatient appointments were postponed across England because of the walkouts. These can include appointments, X-rays and minor procedures. Most of the chaos was caused at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (2,413), followed by Newcastle-Upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (2,313). Map shows total for both inpatient and outpatient appointments cancelled
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is considering fast-tracking next year’s NHS pay rise in a bid to resolve the dispute. He has already hinted that staff can ‘look forward’ to next year’s review.
RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said: ‘The Government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.
‘I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.’
Ms Cullen, who joined picket lines last week, added: ‘The public support has been heartwarming.
‘And I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.
‘The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in.’
Dozens of hospitals took part in last week’s RCN strikes, which saw a bank holiday-style service run in many wards across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Cancer patients were among those denied care in the RCN’s first national strike in its 106-year history.
Some services, including chemotherapy and dialysis, were exempt.
January’s strikes are planned just for England at the moment — but the union hinted that action is looming for the rest of the UK.
Some 9,999 staff were absent from work due to the walkouts on December 15. Another 11,509 were recorded for December 20. Most disruption was logged in the South West, with 4,748 staff taking part over the two days
Ambulance workers on the picket line in London on December 21, in an ongoing dispute over pay
Nearly 70,000 patients were taken to hospitals by 999 crews last week. But more than 28,000 — or 40 per cent — faced delays of at least 30 minutes before being passed to casualty teams
Action could rumble on for six months, unless the two sides come to an agreement.
Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: ‘Health leaders will breathe a sigh of relief on behalf of their staff and patients that next week’s ambulance strikes have been called off but with four days to prepare for in January, they know that trouble awaits.
‘No health leader wants to be in this situation and the new strikes announced for January could have been avoided had the Government attempted to find more common ground with the unions over pay.
‘The Government cannot just sit back and let these strikes happen when patient care is on the line and the unions must honour their commitment to protect “life and limb”.
‘It’s clear this is becoming critical and the worry is that the NHS will be held hostage to this position of stalemate between both sides.
‘This benefits no one and the Government must act and reach a compromise with trade unions now.’
It comes as the NHS is braced for its ‘darkest’ ever Christmas as it battles a flu surge, a bed-blocking crisis and the aftermath of strikes.
Health leaders warn the service is going into the weekend with an unsafe number of patients on wards, skeleton staffing levels and is ‘dangerously close to overheating completely’.
The public was last night urged not to socialise with friends and relatives if unwell over the festive period to avoid passing on infections and overwhelming the NHS.
Ambulance handover delays at A&E are the worst on record, leaving crews unable to respond to new 999 calls for hours at a time.
And enquiries to NHS 111 are approaching an all-time-high, with worried parents seeking advice on the Strep A outbreak raging through schools.
Saffron Cordery, chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘Trust leaders are expecting this Christmas to be one of their darkest to date.’
There are fears that patients who delayed seeking care when nurses and ambulance staff picketed this week will now scramble to be seen.
However, there are likely to be fewer staff available to deal with the influx as hospitals operate stripped back weekend and Christmas Day rotas.
In other related news…
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Prepare for MORE ambulance chaos! Unison announces two more strike dates in January as another union plots walk-out in Wales
Don’t give granny flu at Christmas: Festive revellers are urged not to mix with vulnerable relatives if they are ill to avoid overloading struggling NHS
NHS TRUST | INPATIENT (DEC 20) | OUTPATIENT (DEC 20) | INPATIENT (DEC 15) | OUTPATIENT (DEC 15) | TOTAL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 121 | 1038 | 134 | 1116 | 2409 |
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 6 | 68 | 0 | 0 | 74 |
Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust | 29 | 307 | 41 | 243 | 620 |
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | 140 | 860 | 136 | 812 | 1948 |
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 91 | 1100 | 0 | 0 | 1191 |
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust | 11 | 159 | 12 | 160 | 342 |
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 28 | 110 | 36 | 450 | 624 |
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 47 | 960 | 62 | 957 | 2026 |
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | 149 | 1115 | 201 | 1298 | 2763 |
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | 195 | 670 | 250 | 534 | 1649 |
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | 178 | 845 | 147 | 966 | 2136 |
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 36 | 308 | 33 | 389 | 766 |
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | 0 | 125 | 18 | 135 | 278 |
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 70 | 445 | 120 | 710 | 1345 |
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 61 | 78 | 88 | 84 | 311 |
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 179 | 987 | 178 | 1326 | 2670 |
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 0 | 0 | 34 | 377 | 411 |
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 16 | 70 | 33 | 33 | 152 |
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 74 | 496 | 162 | 1205 | 1937 |
Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust | 3 | 65 | 11 | 69 | 148 |
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust | 0 | 70 | 0 | 64 | 134 |
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust | 14 | 146 | 19 | 172 | 351 |
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 137 | 354 | 93 | 677 | 1261 |
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 87 | 82 | 51 | 106 | 326 |
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 73 | 20 | 83 | 50 | 226 |
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 20 | 1 | 24 | 29 | 74 |
North Bristol NHS Trust | 35 | 121 | 63 | 67 | 286 |
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 186 | 727 | 271 | 845 | 2029 |
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | 34 | 95 | 34 | 110 | 273 |
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust | 20 | 50 | 23 | 87 | 180 |
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust | 37 | 101 | 52 | 102 | 292 |
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | 38 | 109 | 43 | 154 | 344 |
NHS ORGANISATION | Dec-20 | Dec-15 |
---|---|---|
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 440 | 432 |
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust | 112 | 132 |
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust | 91 | 127 |
Hertfordshire And West Essex ICB | 8 | 9 |
Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust | 91 | 100 |
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 60 | No data submitted |
Great Ormond Street Hospital For Children NHS Foundation Trust | 281 | 249 |
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust | 749 | No data submitted |
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | 407 | 425 |
NHS North Central London ICB | 14 | 14 |
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust | 168 | 203 |
Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 122 | 107 |
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust | 133 | 157 |
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 121 | 116 |
NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB) | No data submitted | No data submitted |
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 171 | 160 |
Nottingham And Nottinghamshire ICB | 3 | 8 |
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | 558 | 530 |
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 346 | 401 |
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 53 | No data submitted |
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | 545 | 544 |
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | 250 | No data submitted |
Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 168 | 224 |
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | 117 | 99 |
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust | 128 | 142 |
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 350 | 329 |
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 389 | 331 |
The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 702 | 589 |
Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust | 138 | 111 |
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | 119 | 89 |
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 575 | 403 |
Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust | 45 | 37 |
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust | 675 | 644 |
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust | 136 | No data submitted |
The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust | 109 | 93 |
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust | 212 | 228 |
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 375 | 419 |
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | 172 | 175 |
Bath And North East Somerset, Swindon And Wiltshire ICB | 7 | 9 |
Devon Partnership NHS Trust | 90 | 93 |
Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust | 133 | 151 |
Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 271 | 256 |
Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | 125 | 129 |
NHS Devon ICB (One Devon) | No data submitted | No data submitted |
NHS Gloucestershire ICB (One Gloucestershire) | No data submitted | No data submitted |
North Bristol NHS Trust | 254 | 261 |
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | 465 | 479 |
Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | 143 | 103 |
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust | 85 | 68 |
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust | 563 | 587 |
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | 240 | 236 |