'I'm sad that it has come to this': Striking nurses say they're fighting for future of NHS
Striking nurses have told ITV Meridian that they have no choice but to walk out, in what they say is a fight for the future of our NHS.
Outside the Royal Berkshire Hospital they were joined by Pat Cullen, the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), who called on the Government to pay a fair wage and to do the 'right thing'.
Many there were worried that across the industry a lack of staff is putting patients at risk, and without change, the situation would worsen, putting even more pressure on the NHS.
It's echoed by the RCN, which has argued that low pay is driving “chronic understaffing” which puts patients at risk and leaves nursing staff overworked, underpaid and undervalued.
Filipa Monteiro, who was on the picket line at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, said despite everyone going above and beyond, current conditions in nursing are simply not good enough.
She also raised concerns about the attractiveness of the profession and how a lack of staff now would only get worse without intervention.
"We pay exactly as much as everyone else to get a degree level course.
"People are not going to stop working in nursing because there is no incentive and you work terrible hour, days, nights and weekends. You leave time with your family to be at work.
"How are you going to attract people if these are the conditions you are offering them? You're not.
"We are constantly going above and beyond, day in day out.
"It gets to a point when you can't ask that of people anymore."
Filipa Monteiro speaks to ITV Meridian.
Others expressed how sad they were to be striking today, saying it should never have had to come to a point that nurses felt a need to walkout.
Nurse, Karin Gerber, who has been in the profession for nearly 30 years said a shortage of workers across the entire healthcare sector is a concern.
"If we are not encouraging them into the profession [healthcare], how are we going to get nurses to look after me when I'm 60 or 70?
"It isn't about the pay...
"I am sad that it has come to this point but we have worked through the pandemic.
"I have been in nursing for 28 years and this has been a long time coming.
"It is just sad that we have had to come to this position."
Karin Gerber speaks to ITV Meridian.
A spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Services at the Royal Berkshire Hospital are running as usual today and we have appropriate levels of staffing in all key areas to ensure our patients continue to receive high quality care whilst industrial action takes place.
"A small number of planned appointments and procedures have been postponed but the majority of patients affected already have new appointment dates. All those impacted will have been contacted by the Trust, so if you have not been contacted please continue to attend any appointments today.
"Patient safety is our priority at all times and as part of delivering this, we have a dedicated safer staffing team seven days a week to monitor and support safe staffing across all wards and departments.
"To support the mental and physical wellbeing of all our staff, we recently opened a new £2.5m ‘Oasis Centre’ and we have dedicated teams focussing on the welfare and also retention and recruitment of staff."