NHS-RCN-Photo: Paul-Mattsson
NHS-RCN-Photo: Paul-Mattsson

Michelle Jarrett-Ruecroft, Nurse practitioner and RCN steward

A bittersweet moment for nurses arrived when the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced our first strike dates. On 15 and 20 December, RCN members will be withdrawing our labour from selected NHS trusts nationwide.

The first question on everyone’s lips, including nurses’, is often: “What about patient safety?”

We have to point out that the crisis in the NHS – huge staff shortages, bed shortages, delays, thousands on waiting lists, the consequent worsening of people’s health and sometimes unnecessary deaths –  is the fault of the Tory government, not of nurses finally reaching the point of going on strike.

The RCN has rules whereby some workers will be ‘derogated’ into patient safety-critical areas, for example accident and emergency and intensive care. Some wards will be asked to run on staff numbers equal to a night shift or a bank holiday service.

Over the last decade, the numbers of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, etc, within the NHS have fallen dramatically, due to the failure of the Tory government to recruit and retain. As a result, many departments run day-to-day on lower staffing levels than required.

Not only does this already risk the safety of patients, but it leads to staff burnout, anxiety, depression and ultimately time off on sickness leave. This costs the NHS more money, paying sickness pay and for private agency staff. Outgoings for agency staff are reported to be £3 billion per year!

Without a significant pay rise for workers, the NHS will not be able to attract the required number of personnel to carry on and could achieve the Tories’ ambition of being broken beyond repair, leaving the healthcare sector wide open to American-style private healthcare funding.

As nurses, we must help the public understand the rotten truth that this has been the Tory plan all along. They don’t care that they have undermined and demoralised the workforce. They don’t care that they have put people’s lives in danger day-in, day-out, by understaffing the wards and departments. They only care about profits for their big business mates.

On 15 and 20 December we must shout: Solidarity to NHS workers!