On 15 December up to 100,000 nursing staff took part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, in objection to years of real-terms pay cuts and concerns over patient safety.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “For many of us, this is our first time striking and our emotions are really mixed. The NHS is in crisis, the nursing profession can’t take any more, our loved ones are already suffering.
“It is not unreasonable to demand better. This is not something that can wait. We are committed to our patients and always will be.”
Denise Kelly, Chair of the RCN Trade Union Committee, said: "Enough is enough. We have reached crisis point. We have been underpaid, undervalued for the safety critical nature of the role we do. But this is not just about pay, this is also about patient safety."
For patients. For the future of the NHS. For our profession.
Nursing staff on the picket line and those supporting explain why it's so critical their voices are heard...
I don’t want to strike but I’m forced to
"I’m a Filipino nurse and have been nursing here for the last two years. I’m here today to represent international nurses and also to save lives.
"Understaffing is really a problem and during this winter pressure it’s a significant trouble.
"If we could get fair pay, we’d be able to cope better with the high cost of living. I don’t want to strike but I’m forced to, to fight for my rights and the rights of my colleagues. This is for the benefit of everyone."
Anrei, band 5 nurse in A&E
I love being a nurse, I love caring for people, it breaks my heart that I'm stood here today
"Nursing numbers are dropping, staff sickness is getting worse, patient safety is being compromised every single day. I’ve had enough of working short staffed, having one nurse to 10 patients– it’s incredibly unsafe for me and our patients are suffering.
"In these conditions, nursing has become more task-orientated than patient-centred care. Better pay means better working conditions which will allow us to help our patients in the way that they deserve.
"It feels awful to be out here on strike. I woke up this morning feeling incredibly sick. I hate being here, I wish I was upstairs working. I love being a nurse, I love caring for people, it breaks my heart that I’m stood here to do this but I’m only at the beginning of my career and I can’t carry on like this so that’s why I'm stood here today."
Tansy, staff nurse
I was really torn making the decision but things have got to change
"I’m here because enough is enough. I became a nurse because I wanted to make a difference, to improve care and look after patients. We just can’t do it anymore, there’s not enough of us and patients are suffering. I want to be able to do the job that I came into the profession to do and I don’t feel like I can with staffing levels as they are.
"Nobody wants to come into nursing now. It’s not rewarding anymore, you don’t get paid well enough, you don’t get recognised for what you do. It’s a shame.
"I think it’s really sad to be here today. I was really torn making the decision to strike but things have got to change. There needs to be a future for the NHS. Patients come first."
Leonie, tissue viability nurse in the community
Our profession needs some serious intervention
"We’re really at a critical point where our profession needs some serious intervention. It’s a very difficult choice to come and strike and we’ve done our very best to safeguard our patient care, but ultimately patient care is jeopardised every day due to unsafe staffing levels so this is really to highlight those issues.
"If you look at what our role entails now compared to 20 or 30 years ago, lots of us are working well beyond those traditional views of what nursing is and I think all we’re looking for is to have fair pay that reflects our skills and ability."
Jack, charge nurse
We’ve gone through many different emotions but now we’re angry
"We need more nurses. I personally know lots of nurses who have left the profession completely. And part of that is the pay. We’re not getting paid enough. But it's not even about that. No one comes into nursing for the pay, let’s be honest.
"We do it because we care and we want to make a difference in the world. But because of the pay, we’re not getting nurses in anymore so it’s not safe for patients.
"Personally, I’m fed up. I’m seeing nurses breakdown, I’m seeing nurses cry at the end of shifts. We’ve gone through many different emotions but now we’re angry. Especially after covid, what nurses went through in covid. We’re angry and something’s got to change."
Amal, staff nurse
"I’ve been a nurse for 22 years. I’m a senior nurse and the thing I’ve noticed over the last few years is how difficult it is for me to recruit staff. And that's a problem because the first thing you need to do to make care effective is to have the staffing level right.
"We don’t just want the minimum for safety, we need the ‘best staffing level’ that enables us to make improvements, to release people for training, to give people their breaks. The best staffing so we can achieve optimum care.
"Being out here today is a historic moment. If the government aren’t even going to negotiate, it just shows that they’re not interested. That’s what needs to happen. They need to start to talk to us."
Ian, ophthalmic nurse in A&E
We've been undermined and overlooked
"I’m here to protest and ensure that we get fair pay. We’ve not been appreciated as a profession, we’ve been undermined and overlooked. For me, after the pandemic, the pay award was an insult.
"I feel empowered being out on strike today. I think we’ve held off, held off, held off, and obviously we want safety for our patients – we don’t want our colleagues to be overburdened by us being out here – but I just think something had to be done and said.
"If they won't listen to us, then we have to do something like this. I think a fair pay rise would help with staff retention and there would be respect, acknowledgement and appreciation for what we do."
Audrie, clinical nurse specialist
"Nursing is a passion, it’s something you go in to knowing you’re going to give a lot of yourself to the job, and I think our pay needs to reflect that.
"It was so much harder to walk out on strike than I thought it would be. Especially in my role as a senior person, I go on shift to make sure not only patients are safe but that my staff members are safe as well and that I’m there to help and lead.
"Getting fair pay would help us to feel that the nursing role is valued. We all work really hard and all our patients say “you’re doing a fabulous job, we support you and think you should get the pay you deserve”, but it needs to be reflected in the way the government treats us.
"They’re always saying the NHS is the stalwart of the country and they’re so proud of it but it doesn’t reflect in their attitudes and actions towards the NHS at all and I think a pay rise is just one step in making sure we are truly, actually funding the NHS and that we do want it to run the way it’s supposed to. To show that it is the shining beacon in the country that they say it is."
Lesley, deputy ward sister
The action does not end here.
There were more strikes on 18 and 19 January and 6 and 7 February
Find out more about our Fair Pay For Nursing campaign and get updates on strike action.
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