Health crisis: ‘Critical’ escalation in strike action

The escalation in industrial action comes just hours after the leaders of all five of Northern Ireland’s largest parties asked the Secretary of State Julian Smith to intervene.

Sinn Fein and the SDLP last night accused Mr Smith of snubbing a last-ditch meeting aimed at averting today’s action.

The five parties met with the head of Northern Ireland’s Civil Service David Sterling, but no breakthrough was achieved.

Nurses, ambulance drivers and a range of other health workers will strike in what has been dubbed a “major day of action” involving four health workers’ unions.

The Royal College of Nursing will take the first strike action in its 103-year history and will be joined by health workers from Unison, Unite and Nipsa.

Unison regional secretary Patricia McKeown described today’s strike as “the most critical in the history of our health and social services system”.

Last night, a spokesperson for the Health and Social Care Board said “numerous appointments and treatments have been cancelled” with services “stood down or reduced” at hospitals.

Meanwhile, ambulances will respond only to the most serious calls.

The dispute centres on pay and staffing levels. Workers in Northern Ireland are paid less than those in the rest of the UK.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill claimed Mr Smith refused to attend the meeting with the five parties and Mr Sterling last night.

“We met with senior civil servants today to urge them to do the right thing and provide pay parity to health workers in order to avert tomorrow’s strike action,” she said.

“There is consensus among party leaders that a resolution can be found by the British Secretary of State Julian Smith and civil servants.

“Party leaders restated there is consensus if the Executive is restored by January 13 that we will adopt a policy to award pay parity.

“On this basis, we invited the secretary of state to come and meet with the five party leaders, where he would provide a commitment to deliver this in the event of no agreement by that date.

“Regrettably he refused to meet the leaders.”

SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon also criticised Mr Smith.

“On the eve of significant strike action in our health service by healthcare workers who have been left with no other choice, it is unacceptable that the secretary of state chose not to engage with parties this evening,” she said.

Earlier, in a letter to Mr Smith, the leaders of the DUP, UUP, Alliance Party, SDLP and Sinn Fein had called for the restoration of “pay parity”.

Meanwhile, Ms McKeown said: “Everyone with power and authority in this society has conceded that our cause is just. We have had ‘sympathy’ from the UK government through the secretary of state, from all political parties that stood on our picket lines and from the leadership of the health service. But we have no resolution.”

She continued: “There is still no action from those in power. It would appear that health workers, patients and the public at large are being used as pawns in a political game.

“As we enter this significant period in the industrial struggle the consequences lay firmly on the shoulders of the UK government, our elected politicians and the leadership of the civil service.”

DUP health spokesperson Paula Bradley said: “This industrial action is on a scale we have never seen before.

“I have worked in the health service and I know the passion that is there in the workforce. I know that it will have taken an awful lot to drive them to where they are today.”

She added: “There is a general feeling that it has gone far enough, that this is the last resort, that these people have to be heard.”

A spokesperson for the Health and Social Care Board said: “We sincerely apologise for the distress this action will cause to everyone impacted.”

Both the HSCB and trade unions have stressed the importance of patient safety, but there have been warnings of “pressures” on emergency departments as minor units are closed and various hospital services are stood down.

A spokesperson for the HSCB said: “Regrettably, as a result of the widespread nature of the strike, numerous appointments and treatments have been cancelled and many services across our hospitals and the community care sector have had to be stood down or reduced.”

“If patients or service users have not been contacted by their Trust then they should attend their appointment/service as normal.”

The spokesperson continued: “All emergency departments will remain open as normal, however, we also anticipate significant pressures within these departments.

“The South Tyrone Hospital Minor Injury Unit (MIU), Mid Ulster MIU, Bangor MIU and Ards MIU will all be closed on 18th December.

“These closures will increase the pressure on our already over stretched Emergency Departments.

“The priority will be on the treating emergency and life threatening conditions first. Patients with less urgent conditions may have to wait for lengthy periods.”

An ambulance service spokesperson said: “Northern Ireland Ambulance Service resources will be prioritised towards category 1 and category 2 calls as they are the most clinically urgent.”

John Patrick Clayton, of Unison, said a series of “derogations and exemptions” had been made by trade unions in the interest of patient safety.