Support nurses and ambulance workers
Charlie Kennedy, London Royal College of Nursing (RCN) member
I am a newly registered nurse, working in intensive care.
I have just come off three 12.5-hour night shifts. Me and my colleagues have been working to save lives and care for the dying.
We work 24/7, and our service does not stop for any holidays and special occasions. We are working 365 days and nights.
We often skip breaks to deliver our service, so that patients can get the best care. We regularly leave late so we can finish all of our tasks for the day. We almost always leave work stressed and worried for our patients. We are always tired and fatigued.
We suffer from short-staffing on regular occasions, and we are always seeing our colleagues leaving the profession for better pay abroad or to other fields. We suffer from shortages of new nurses, put off by the pay offer, and by the lack of support available on qualifying and throughout their career.
Our student nurses pay university fees and remain in debt throughout a significant portion of their career. We pay every year to retain our professional registration, with minimal compensation. We see our experienced colleagues vastly underpaid for their highly skilled work.
Some of us are using food banks. Some of us are taking second jobs. We have had a real-terms pay cut of up to 20% and inflation is continuing to grow.
We continued to work, fatigued and exhausted, during the pandemic and we did so with greatly inadequate PPE supplies.
Waiting lists are growing. Ambulance response times are increasing. There are not enough hospital beds. There are not enough healthcare staff.
Patients are no longer safe. The NHS is no longer safe. That is why we are striking. We have been pushed to the edge and we have no choice. I hope you’ll support us.
