NHS staff staging four-hour strike

13 October 2014 Last updated at 07:58 By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Thousands of NHS workers, including nurses, midwives and ambulance staff, have begun a four-hour strike.

Workers from six trade unions are taking part, which will disrupt some NHS services - although urgent and emergency care will be unaffected.

The action - from 07:00 to 11:00 BST - mainly affects England, while some staff in Northern Ireland are involved.

Trade unions want a 1% pay rise for all NHS staff, but the government has said the proposal would cost too much.

Ahead of the strike, England's chief nursing officer Jane Cummings said "robust plans" had been put in place and patient safety "was a priority".

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Chief Nursing Officer Jane Cummings urged workers to "think very carefully" about striking

A spokesman for the Department of Health said it was "disappointed that trade unions are taking industrial action".

"NHS staff are our greatest asset, and we've increased the NHS budget to pay for over 12,500 more clinical staff since 2010.

"We cannot afford a pay rise in addition to increments - which disproportionately reward the highest earners - without risking frontline jobs," the spokesman added.

Unison said the action - the first strike by NHS staff over pay in more than 30 years - would send a "clear message" to the government.

Pay dispute

Union leaders have said their members will be providing "life and limb" cover during the strike, meaning 999 calls will be answered and A&E units will remain open.

However, hospital outpatient appointments, community clinics and some routine operations could be affected.

The Royal College of Midwives, which is taking action for the first time in its history, has said services for women giving birth will be unaffected. Instead, their members are likely to target antenatal and postnatal care.

Union	Staff groups	Number of members
Unison	Nurses, healthcare assistants, ambulance staff, porters and admin	250,000 in England
GMB	Nurses, healthcare assistants, ambulance staff, porters, admin workers and cleaners	22,000 in England and Northern Ireland
Unite	Nurses, healthcare assistants, ambulance staff, porters and admin	92,000 in England and Northern Ireland
Royal College of Midwives	Midwives	22,000 in England
UCATT	Maintenance staff	480 in England
British Association of Occupational Therapists	Occupational therapists	24,000

Doctors and dentists are not involved.

The walkout will be followed by four days of working-to-rule from Tuesday.

As well as the RCM, there are another five unions involved in the strike in England - Unison, Unite, GMB, UCATT and the British Association of Occupational Therapists. Between them they have about 400,000 members, including porters, cleaners and administration staff.

In Northern Ireland, members of Unite and GMB are involved.

'Fairer deal'

Ministers in England have awarded NHS staff a 1% increase, but only for those without automatic progression-in-the-job rises.

These, designed to reward professional development, are given to about half of staff, and are worth 3% a year on average.

An independent pay review board had said the 1% increase should be across the board.

It was implemented in full in Scotland. Northern Ireland has yet to make a decision on pay, while Wales did the same as England but did give extra to the lowest paid. Some unions are balloting their Welsh members about action there.

Christina McAnea, head of health at Unison, said the offer in England was a "disgrace".

"The fact that so many unions representing a range of NHS workers are taking action or preparing to join future actions should send a clear message to the government," she said.

"The NHS relies on the good will of its workers but we know that a demotivated workforce is bad for patients. The government needs to start negotiating with us and reconsider their pay policy."

RCM chief executive Cathy Warwick added: "At a time when MPs are set for a 10% pay hike, we're told that midwives don't deserve even a below-inflation 1% rise. And politicians wonder why the public does not afford them more respect.

"It feels to a great many people, including midwives, that there is one rule for them and another rule for everybody else."

Do you plan to take part in the NHS staff strike? Are you a patient that is concerned about the impact of strike action on NHS services? Send us your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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