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The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Is the NHS gearing up for a new winter of discontent?
More bad news for the government's attempts to reduce waiting times in the NHS and end the incessant strikes that have troubled the service for some years. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is holding a consultative ballot on the independent pay review board's recommended pay rise of 3.6 per cent. It obviously comes during the five-day resident doctors' strike, and there are also signs of unrest developing elsewhere in the NHS. Some difficult times lie ahead... When are the nurses going on strike? Not soon. The present RCN vote is 'consultative' or 'indicative', and is aimed at strengthening their bargaining hand – there's no commitment to withdraw labour. Union sources suggest there will be an overwhelming rejection of the offer, which is already barely sufficient to keep up with inflation – but this may, to some extent, be a bargaining ploy as they enter into negotiations. Even so, the chances are they'd go on strike again after a 'real' strike ballot, as they did so often in 2022 and 2023. It might happen towards the end of the year. Is it too soon to use the phrase 'winter of discontent'? Sort of. Nonetheless, it is perfectly possible to conceive of the nurses and doctors being on strike simultaneously towards the end of the year. The GMB union is making similar noises about industrial action. They represent many domestic and auxiliary staff, plus ambulance crews (a service still in some crisis). It might well feel a lot like when Rishi Sunak was running the country – 'chaos and confusion'. What could stop the strikes? More money, but that feels unlikely given the state of the public finances, and just how many people work in the NHS – the pay bill was around £82bn in 2023-24 for England and Wales, about a half of the NHS budget. So a 1 per cent uplift is the best part of £1bn. A more important factor, though its impact is less direct, is public opinion. Support for strike action is certainly subsiding in the case of the doctors. Maybe Wes Streeting, faced with by far the greatest challenge of his political career, will somehow persuade them to help him reform and save the NHS – which would, after all, be in their own long-term interests. What would be the effect on the NHS? Severe – though eventually, when the strikes are settled, as they'll have to be one day, the backlogs will eventually return to normal. The much more insidious damage will be to public confidence in the NHS as an institution. If neither the Conservatives nor Labour can fix the NHS, the question may be asked, who can? For some it might feel as though more radical changes are needed, and that the NHS should be effectively privatised. Such changes would not necessarily be in the best interests of the BMA, RCN, or Unison members. The nurses should thus worry about destroying the thing they profess to love most – the health service itself. What does the opposition say? Nigel Farage wants a 'French-style' insurance system – but that means hefty premiums for some, and presents a problem for those people who cannot afford them. Questions would remain about how to fund the kinds of long-term treatment that the private sector refuses to cover – for dementia, cancer, degenerative diseases. Under such a regime, some doctors and nurses in some disciplines might prosper, but others would be worse off. It would be driven more by market forces. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, wants to ban strikes by doctors: 'Doctors hold lives in their hands. No one should lose critical healthcare because of strikes, but that's what's happening now. That's why a Conservative government led by me would ban doctors' strikes, just like we do [in respect of] the army and police.' However, working to rule, and overtime bans, would not be outlawed, which could render the 'ban' ineffective given how much the NHS depends on people working beyond their contracted hours. The Conservatives might also reinstate 'minimum service' in hospitals and healthcare, now being abolished by Labour via the Employment Rights Bill. In short, some form of industrial action would remain an option.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland overwhelmingly reject 3.6% pay rise
Nurses have overwhelmingly rejected the government's 'grotesque' 3.6% pay award for this year, in a move that could lead to the NHS facing further strikes. Royal College of Nursing members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have voted by a large majority against accepting the award in an indicative vote run by the union. The RCN previously called the 3.6% figure 'grotesque', said that it would be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation' and highlighted that it was less than doctors and teachers were given. Well-placed sources say the results of the union's online survey of 345,000 members in the three countries, which is due later this week, will show a 'clear' rejection of the award. That will increase the possibility that the NHS in different parts of the UK could face an autumn or winter of renewed disruption by staff unhappy about their pay, as it did in late 2023 and early 2024. Resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors – in England are on the fourth day of a five-day strike in pursuit of their claim for a 29% pay rise. In addition, NHS staff in England belonging to the GMB union, including ambulance crews, last week rejected their 3.6% award in a consultative vote. Sir Jim Mackey, the chief executive of NHS England, has warned that 'continued disruption over the coming months could see a snowball effect for patients and for staff' as a result of doctors continuing to strike until the end of the year and other unions staging walkouts too. A spokesperson for the RCN said: 'The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.' Nurses have seen the real-terms value of their pay eroded by a quarter since 2010/11, as a result of low pay awards and rising inflation, the union says. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, announced in May that he was giving nurses a 3.6% pay increase for 2025-26. The devolved governments in Cardiff and Belfast have also awarded the same sum. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The RCN will not follow the results of its indicative vote by then staging a legal ballot for industrial action, in contrast to the British Medical Association, the doctors' union. They will instead ask ministers to talk to them about a range of changes to nurses' terms and conditions, including better financial support for nursing students to address a fall in applications and changes to Agenda for Change, the longstanding pay structure for UK-wide non-medical NHS staff. The BMA has also begun seeking the views of consultants – senior hospital doctors – and middle-grade medics in England on the 4% pay rise they were given for this year in a consultative vote, which it called 'an insult'.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
NHS nurses set to join doctors' miserable 5-day walk out after ‘rejecting latest pay deal'
NURSES are poised to reject a pay rise from the Government- paving the way for fresh NHS strike chaos. The Royal College of Nursing is understood to have 'overwhelmingly' voted down the 3.6 per cent offer in an indicative ballot, warning it will be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. 2 2 But while the majority backed action, turnout fell short of the 50 per cent legal threshold needed to trigger a walkout. It means more disruption may still be on the cards if the union pushes for a full vote. A union spokesman said: 'The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.' It comes as thousands of resident doctors in England, previously known as junior doctors, kicked off a five-day strike on Friday after pay talks between the Government and the British Medical Association collapsed. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said disruption to the NHS was not possible to eliminate but insisted it was being kept to a minimum. The RCN represents hundreds of thousands of frontline nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland's nurses have already accepted a separate two-year deal worth 8 per cent, keeping them the best-paid in the UK. Nurses were offered less than almost every other public sector group this year. Doctors, teachers, armed forces and prison officers are all getting more. RCN boss Prof Nicola Ranger has led calls for fairer pay and warned that ministers are ignoring a growing crisis in the profession. She fumed last month: 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale.' Speaking at a global conference in Helsinki, she added: 'I'm with nurses from around the world asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay.' More than 26,000 nurse roles are currently vacant, with student recruitment collapsing and resignations 'skyrocketing', the union says. Nurses made history in winter 2022-23 by walking out for the first time ever - holding four separate two-day strikes. But the RCN failed to secure a new strike mandate in 2023 after a re-ballot missed the 50 per cent turnout threshold. Members have now rejected three government offers in a row: 5 per cent in 2023-24, 5.5 per cent last year, and now 3.6 per cent for 2025.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Nurses to reject pay deal amid warnings of new NHS strikes
Nurses are to reject the Government's pay offer, raising the prospect of further strikes across the NHS. The independent pay review body has offered nurses a pay rise of 3.6 per cent for this year, which is less than the increases offered to junior doctors or consultants. The Telegraph understands nurses have 'overwhelmingly' rejected the offer, but turnout in the indicative ballot was below the 50 per cent needed to trigger industrial action. The result comes after weeks of internal unrest, with The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) officials calling the offer 'grotesque' and warning it would be 'entirely swallowed up by inflation'. The RCN has been holding a consultative vote on their 3.6 per cent pay increase, and the results are expected later this week. A union spokesman said: 'The results will be announced to our members later this week. As the largest part of the NHS workforce, nursing staff do not feel valued and the government must urgently begin to turn that around.' Doctors, teachers, prison officers and the armed forces will all be receiving a bigger increase than nurses. Resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, were told they would be getting 5.4 per cent on average on top of the 22 per cent rise they received last year. The RCN vote will include members working in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not Scotland, where nurses accepted an 8 per cent rise over two years, to remain the best-paid in the UK. Prof Nicola Ranger, the RCN's general secretary, has repeatedly called for ministers to recognise the value of the nursing workforce, warning that pay erosion has driven thousands to leave the profession. 'Nursing is an incredible career, but despite being the most valued profession by the public we continue to be weighted to the bottom of the NHS pay scale,' Ms Ranger said last month. Speaking at an international nursing conference in Helsinki, Finland, she said: 'I'm with nurses from around the world asking why it is our ministers in the UK who have once again put nursing at the back of the queue when it comes to pay.' According to the union, there are more than 26,000 unfilled nursing posts, while student recruitment has 'collapsed' and the number quitting is 'skyrocketing'. Nurses last walked off the job in the winter of 2022–23 which was the first strike action in NHS history, staging four separate two-day walkouts. However, the union lost its strike mandate in 2023 after failing to meet the 50 per cent turnout threshold in a re-ballot. Its members previously voted to reject the 5.5 per cent pay award for 2024-25 last year, as well as the 5 per cent in 2023-24, the year before.
BBC News
23-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Unions condemn Northamptonshire Reform councils over flag ban
Two unions have criticised a county's Reform UK-led councils over their decision to no longer fly the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag from their North and West Northamptonshire Council's new flag policy dictates that only the union jack, St George's and council flags will be the Royal College of Nursing and Unite said not flying the rainbow flag "undermines efforts to create inclusive, welcoming communities".Defending the flag policy, Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said: "Bring it on. We were elected to deliver change and that's exactly what we're doing." In the unions' joint statement, they said: "This isn't about neutrality - it's about erasure."The Pride flag is a symbol of dignity, respect, and the ongoing fight for equality."It said the flying the flag "during celebrations and key dates shows solidarity".The unions said the council's policy sends "the wrong message to LGBTQ+ residents, staff, and patients across the region".They urged the authorities' leaders to reconsider."We're proud to stand with our LGBTQ+ members and colleagues. We call on local leaders to do the same," they added. In response to the criticism, Anderson said: "Banning the flying of any flag that isn't the union flag is a great first step."He said foreign or Pride flags had "absolutely nothing" to do with running a local a statement, West Northamptonshire Council said it "continues to support all residents... and community-led activities, including providing its support to organising the recent Northampton Pride activities".North Northamptonshire Council said it would fly "other national flags when it is appropriate to do so".It said the policy applied to flagpoles "at our corporate buildings" but not other flag poles across North Northamptonshire. A spokesperson said the authority would be "happy to work with the local community and town and parish councils to raise flags at some locations, where appropriate". Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
