In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, nurses have kicked off the first of two day-long strikes due to pay.
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| NHS nurses demand for an increase in their pay. Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images |
The strikes will start from 08:00 to 20:00 GMT on 15 and 20 December.
‘Life preserving’ and some urgent care will be provided by staff, however, routine services will probably be interrupted in the biggest walkout ever by nurses of NHS.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) demands a 19% increase in pay and says below inflation increases are compromising care by making it difficult to attract and keep nurses.
The government has declared the RCN’s demand is not affordable as well as it has met independent pay recommendations.
Kidney Dialysis and Chemotherapy should run as normal, alongside intensive and critical care.
Children’s accident and emergency and hospital neonatal units should also run as usual. The biggest impact will probably be in pre-booked treatments like hernia repair, hip replacements or outpatient clinics.
