Nurses begin second walkout in Isle of Man over pay and working conditions

• Nurses gather on a picket line outside Nobles Hospital

Nurses in the Isle of Man have started their second walkout over pay and working conditions.

A picket line, formed of members of the Royal College of Nursing, made its way from inside Nobles Hospital to the entrance this morning.

Claire Hardman works as a cardiac rehabilitation nurse on the island and says: "People have tried their best but we're very run down and working as hard as we can.

"In future we're not going to be able to recruit and retain these staff to maintain safety for the patients and the public."

Members of the RCN staged their first walkout at the end of July.

The regional director for the RCN, Stephanie Dunn travelled over to the island for the strike.

She said: "We didn't want to be here, we didn't want to take the action in July, but our members have been put into a position where they're not being listened to."

She continued: "There's been nothing. We're struggling to even get response to letters".

The government previously offered a 6% pay offer with a £1,000 lump sum, but members of the Union say it was not enough.

The Director of Nursing at Manx Care said he recognises the hospital as 'becoming unsafe' for patients, due to the lack of staff at Noble's Hospital.

He said: "It's a constant endeavour trying to keep people safe when we are short of people, the finances are stretched, we work on an island, it's an extraordinarily difficult balance to strike."

Manx Care say 'essential services' will continue during the strike.

They added that Manx Care 'remains open to dialogue with RCN members', but add their actions 'remain limited due to our financial constraints'.

Further strike action is planned next month as nurses prepare to once again stage a walkout on 18 and 19 October.

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