NHS nursing strikes: which hospitals are affected across the East and West Midlands ?
Hundreds of nursing staff have joined picket lines across the Midlands in a dispute over pay.
It follows a ballot among more than 300,000 Royal College of Nursing members, deemed the biggest in the union's 106-year history.
Members are taking part in strikes today (Thursday, December 15) and again on Tuesday, December 20. The union is calling for a pay rise of five per cent above inflation.
Despite some health workers walking out, teams say essential treatment will still go ahead.
Here's an in-depth look at why Royal College of Nursing staff are striking.
In Nottingham more than a hundred nursing staff have turned out for a picket this morning.
Only workers in the Royal College of Nursing are taking part in the strike and the union has listed the hospitals within the East and West Midlands that will be affected.
EAST MIDLANDS
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB - December 15 and December 20.
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - December 15 and December 20.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
WEST MIDLANDS
Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust - December 15 and December 20.
NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB (BSol ICB) - December 15 and December 20.
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust - December 15 and December 20.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust - December 15 and December 20.
What has the Royal College of Nursing asked for?
The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer.
When it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March, inflation was running at 7.5%.
But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September - which is where the often repeated 19% rise figure the government say nurses are asking for comes from.
But the RCN has not specifically asked for a 19.2% pay uplift.
RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said nurses were asking for "20% that has been taken out of their pay over the last decade to be put back in".
What has the Government said?
The government accepted the recommendation by the pay review body and insists union demands are “not affordable” in the current economic climate.
They say 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. A separate pay offer has been made in Scotland.
NHS
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS is working hard to keep patients safe during strikes, while delivering the best care possible, and patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule.
"Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, with key services continuing to operate.”
Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said NHS trusts were “pulling out all the stops” to lessen the impact on patients.
She said: “The picture will vary across the country as trust leaders work out service levels with unions locally.
“But it’s inevitable that some operations or appointments will have to be rescheduled and trusts are pulling out all the stops to minimise disruption.
“The cold snap has ramped up demand that was already at or close to record levels, but on strike day NHS trusts will do everything they can to ensure that essential services are properly staffed and patient safety, always the number one priority, is safeguarded.”
On Wednesday, the head of NHS Employers said “real concerns” remain about the level of cover nurses will provide for cancer patients during the strike.
In a letter to NHS leaders, Danny Mortimer said some aspects of talks with the RCN had been disappointing and warned that “unless the government indicates a willingness to negotiate on pay-related matters, further strike dates will be announced by the RCN for January 2023 and beyond”.
A statement on the NHS website reads: "Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is really important that patients who need urgent medical care continue to come forward as normal, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or injured, or their life is at risk.
"If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned. The NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.
"GP services are not impacted by this strike action. Please continue to attend your GP appointments, unless you are contacted and told otherwise.
"On days where there is strike action, patients should only call 999 if it is a medical or mental health emergency (when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk).
"Ambulances will still be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is an immediate risk to life.
"Where the situation is not life-threatening, alternative support will be available through NHS 111 online or through the NHS 111 helpline, and where possible, it is advised that you arrange alternative transport."