Striking NHS staff could get 'fast-tracked pay rise next year’ after union stalemate, reports say

ITV News political correspondent Libby Wiener has the latest

The government may fast-track NHS pay rises next year after days of record strikes by nurses and paramedics, according to reports.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Health Secretary Steve Barclay is poised to offer an expedited pay deal, after thousands of nurses took part in industrial action on Tuesday and ambulance staff staged their biggest strike in 30 years on Wednesday, while unions and ministers remained in a stalemate over pay negotiations.

The NHS is braced for a surge in demand for emergency treatment as a knock-on effect of the strikes, while health chiefs have stepped up calls for the government to negotiate with unions on pay.

Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents hospital and ambulance services in England, said the next few days will be a "challenging time" due to pent-up demand for services.

"I think emergency departments, particularly, are going to feel the strain in those areas where there were strikes, which for ambulance services was in every part of the country apart from the east of England," she told Sky News.

ITV News reporter Yasmin Bodalbhai details the strikes yet to come as Christmas approaches

"So some real pressure there, pent-up demand, and also the added pressure of rearranging all of those operations and appointments that needed to be postponed."

Ms Cordery said the extra demand will hit an NHS where there are already "fundamental levels of staff shortages”, with frontline workers "significantly overstretched."

"What we have got to see now is the government come to the table and have a serious discussion and negotiation about pay because this dispute is about pay and it’s also about working conditions and keeping patients safe,” she said.

In a message to ministers, she said there are over 130,000 vacancies in the NHS and "we are haemorrhaging staff because of pay and working conditions, particularly in more junior bands."

She said the social care system is also "on its knees," which has an impact on the NHS by making it harder for hospitals to discharge patients back into the community.

In a bleak assessment of the NHS this winter, Ms Cordery said "even before the industrial action, we knew that we were in for a tough time."

"Demand is very high, staffing levels aren’t where they should be, and we know that we’ve got flu, which is causing rising levels of hospitalisations, we’ve got mental health waiting lists going through the roof, we’ve got Covid coming back now, and we’ve just had a really cold snap, so if we have another one of those that’s going to add into the pot," she added.

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The Telegraph reported that a source close to Mr Barclay – who was criticised by unions for suggesting striking health workers had "made a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients" – revealed he is keen to "speed up the process" to give NHS staff a pay rise early next year to break the deadlock.

Unions have said they expect NHS workers to be offered a 2% increase next year, based on a letter sent by Mr Barclay last month to the NHS Pay Review Body.

At least 11,509 staff were absent from work across England during strikes by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on Tuesday, and 13,797 appointments and procedures had to be rescheduled, according to NHS England.

On Wednesday, thousands of ambulance workers took industrial action, with members of the military stepping in to take their place and trusts telling patients only to call 999 in the case of a life-threatening emergency.

The next ambulance strike is due to take place on December 28.

It comes amid a string of other strikes, which has also seen public service workers Royal Mail staff and Border Force workers take action, with almost one walkout every day in the run-up to Christmas.

On Thursday, strikes will be held by Unite members working for Highlands and Islands Airports, National Highways workers in London and the South East, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in the North West, Yorkshire and Humber and North Wales.

Unison workers at the Environment Agency will refuse to provide on-call cover for unexpected incidents, and Rural Payments Agency staff will continue their walkout.

On Friday, the National Highways and DVSA strikes are due to continue, while Royal Mail workers will begin a two-day national stoppage.

Christmas Eve will bring strikes from RMT railway workers from 6pm, and London bus workers at Abellio.

And the strikes are set to continue into the new year, as train drivers announced a fresh walkout on Thursday 5 January.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators are also planning to strike on January 3, 4, 6 and 7.