Nurses across west Wales are staging their second day of strike action today (Tuesday, 20 December) as the dispute over pay deepens.
Staff in all but one of Wales’ health boards are taking part in the walk-out.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the government are locked in a bitter dispute, with Welsh and UK ministers saying the salary rise demanded by unions is unaffordable.
The RCN maintains the offer of a flat pay increase of £1,400 for most on Agenda for Change pay bands, which was recommended by NHS pay review body, is not enough.
Nurses are asking for a 19% pay rise, but the Welsh government offered between 4% and 5.5%. It says it needed more money from the UK government to fund pay rises, but Westminster said that was unaffordable.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said she believed all public sector workers should be paid fairly for what they do and that the Welsh government would continue working with bodies to "deliver the best possible outcome" with the funding available.
Hywel Dda University Health Board has confirmed that some services are exempt from strike action, but appointments and procedures are expected to be affected.
Some services will be staffed as normal - including chemotherapy, dialysis, intensive care and high dependency units, neonatal intensive care, paediatric intensive care, and accident and emergency departments.
It has also been agreed that mental health services that deal with high risk patients will be exempt from the action.
“Whilst all emergency services will be operating as normal, we have needed to adjust some elements of our planned care services and prioritise patients with urgent care needs wherever possible,” said a Hywel Dda spokesperson.
“Our Chemotherapy Units will be operating as normal on strike days and some surgery for urgent cases will take place at our hospitals.
“Most GP surgeries, Community Pharmacies and Dental services will continue to operate as normal on 20 December.
“Some community based services will be impacted by the industrial action. However, urgent services, including priority district nursing and the acute response team will continue to operate.
“The mass vaccination centres will not be offering drop-in sessions on 20 December, however some community vaccinations will continue.
“All urgent and emergency care services will continue as normal. The Minor Injury Units at acute hospital sites will be open as usual.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your support and patience.”
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has never before in its 106-year history called a national strike.
Members of the union have voted in their thousands to take industrial action over low pay, understaffing and patient safety concerns.
Speaking ahead of the strike, RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said: “The public is increasingly with their local nursing staff and this Government desperately needs to get on the right side of them. It is unprecedented for my members to strike.
“They are prepared to sacrifice a day’s pay to have their concerns heard. Their determination stems as much from worries over patient safety and the future of the NHS than personal hardship.
“Let’s get this wrapped up by Christmas. I will negotiate with him at any point to stop nursing staff and patients going into the new year facing such uncertainty.
“But if this Government isn’t prepared to do the right thing, we’ll have no choice but to continue in January and that will be deeply regrettable.”
In the event of a major incident, health boards can raise it with the committees set up with the RCN to have staff returned to work.
Anyone needing urgent care are being told to access the emergency services, while people with non-life-threatening conditions are advised to use the NHS Wales 111 digital service in the first instance.
Welsh health boards are not allowed to use agency workers to cover striking staff, unless those agency staff were already due to work prior to industrial action being announced.
NHS Wales chief executive Judith Paget said: “This is an unprecedented event and the NHS in Wales has been working incredibly hard, in collaboration with the RCN, to be as prepared as we possibly can be.
“I do understand the concerns that members of the public have but for those who need emergency care or advice the services they would seek normally will still be available today, and the pharmacies will be open, their GP surgeries will be open, the 111 helpline will be there, but also our emergency departments will be open and staffed and we will do our absolute best to make sure we support them.”
Ms Paget added: “But clearly I would be concerned about the ongoing impact of industrial action on our NHS, NHS staff and on our patients but it’s my role to ensure we respond accordingly to the action any union determines to take.”
Wales’ health minister Eluned Morgan said: “The strikes will inevitably have a significant impact on NHS services. But we recognise the strength of feeling among staff, which the difficult decision to vote for industrial action reflects.
“While we were unable to avert this week’s industrial action, all partners have agreed to keep talking and continue to work together.”
On Wednesday, ambulance workers including paramedics, control room workers and technicians will also walk out in Wales and England, with health chiefs warning this represents the most serious threat to date.
The UK Government has announced controversial plans to deploy more than 1,000 civil servants and 1,200 troops to cover for striking ambulance workers as well as Border Force staff, who are preparing to walk out for eight days from December 23 until New Year’s Eve.
During Wednesday’s ambulance strike, the military will not drive ambulances on blue lights for the most serious calls but are expected to provide support on less serious calls.
Negotiations between unions and ambulance services are still ongoing to work out which incidents should be exempt from strike action.
All category one calls (the most life-threatening such as cardiac arrest) will be responded to, while some ambulance trusts have agreed exemptions with unions for specific incidents within category 2 (serious conditions, such as stroke or chest pain).
Ambulance staff who are members of the GMB union will be striking on Wednesday, December 21 and again on Wednesday, December 28.
The ambulance service said a deal had been agreed to maintain some services for emergencies, although services would be “significantly affected”.
On strike days, patients should only call 999 if seriously ill or injured and there is a risk to life.
— Welsh Ambulance (@WelshAmbulance) December 18, 2022
Ambulances will still be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is an immediate risk to life.
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