Health crisis: More strikes could push NHS ‘beyond tipping point’

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) are set to go on strike tomorrow across the Province as an industrial dispute over pay and staffing levels rumbles on.

And on Friday, the RCN nurses will be joined on strike by nursing staff and a range of other health workers from the trade union Unison.

But health chiefs have warned that the strikes could have “much more serious consequences” than similar strike action taken last month.

In a statement, the chief executives of the five regional health trusts and the ambulance service issued a last-ditch call for the unions to “postpone” their industrial action in light of what they described as “severe” pressures on emergency departments.

But the calls received short shrift from health unions, who said the dispute could be ended with better staffing levels and “pay parity” for workers.

The six health trust chief executives said the strikes could mean “patient safety will be compromised as never before”.

“Our health and care service is already under considerable strain with severe winter pressures over the Christmas and new year period,” they said in a statement.

“These pressures continue to build and are particularly intense today (Tuesday).”

The health chiefs said that, for the second time in less than a week, more than 400 people were forced to wait more than 12 hours for treatment at emergency departments in a single day.

“With two strike days planned in the space of 72 hours this week, there are serious concerns that the system could be pushed beyond the tipping point,” the statement added.

“Whilst we continue to support our staff and are respectful of their right to take action, we would urge a postponement.”

Unison head of bargaining and representation, Anne Speed, said: “Unison does not intend to postpone our industrial action.

“Patient safety has been a primary consideration throughout our members’ industrial action and remains so.

“The crisis in our health service caused by over 7,000 vacant posts and the absence of a strategic investment and planning on staffing is one of the two core reasons for this dispute.”

She continued: “Assessing patient safety is the responsibility of the trusts. As has been the case throughout the conduct of this dispute, Unison representatives are meeting with the trusts and will continue to do so to address specific concerns around patient safety.”

Ms Speed added: “We would again call on the trust chief executives to urge the secretary of state and senior officials within the Northern Ireland Civil Service to act now in the public interest to restore pay parity and resolve this dispute.”

In the Belfast Trust, 1,232 outpatient appointments have been cancelled and a further 113 inpatient procedures and day cases have been cancelled.

In the Western Trust, 253 outpatient appointments have been called off, with another 138 in the Northern Trust, 45 in the Southern and 712 in the South Eastern.

Various inpatient treatments and procedures across Northern Ireland have also been cancelled.

The Health and Social Care Board say patients will be notified by their local trust about cancellations of appointments.