Why striking is the only option for nurses

I have been a children’s nurse for over 11 years and the absolutely avoidable but gradual decline of the NHS has made the job more and more challenging. I’m currently in a senior frontline role and plans and ideas of how to evolve and develop the service are routinely impacted by consistently fire fighting the ever increasing clinical pressures. I’m now at a point where I see Industrial Action as the only available option to try and make nursing a viable profession for myself, my colleagues as well as those planning to join the profession.

Alongside many others in the NHS, nursing is a safety critical role and frankly it’s a national disgrace that there isn’t and hasn’t been a long term safe and sustainable workforce plan, with cross party commitment regardless of who’s in power. The health of the nation, our families and friends is far too serious an issue to be left vulnerable to the ideological whims or staggering incompetence of whichever party is in power.

I have nothing but admiration for my colleagues who keep turning up day after day despite the gradual decline working conditions and of the real terms pay when adjusted for inflation. Pay certainly is not the sole reason I am striking, for me it’s a vital component of ensuring nursing is a profession able to retain and recruit enough of us so we can deliver the level of care to which we aspire.

Currently a significant number of us find ourselves stuck in a system which doesn’t have enough of nurses substantively employed but conversely also pays us badly enough we have no choice but to pick up additional shifts to make ends meet. We also can’t all just swap jobs or move industries to find a more sustainable job with better pay. The more of us that leave the profession the worse patient safety and care will become and the health of the nation decreases further.

Yes clearly money will have to be found to cover a properly paid workforce but other countries manage this; as Pat Cullen pointed out English nurses are the worst paid in Europe. The Conservatives found money for VIP PPE contracts, the “NHS” test and trace programme. Both of which proved to be appalling value for money for the taxpayer. A pay rise for nurses would mean more covering the cost of living crisis and I would imagine a decent percentage of any additional money going into their local economy and or hospitality all of which could do with the boost.

I have written this and done other media bits because frankly I’m furious that things have been allowed to get this bad. Why should we as nurses an underpaid, understaffed and undervalued workforce have to deal with the additional trauma of witnessing preventable deaths and unnecessary suffering because those in power either can’t or don’t want to run a health service that meets the needs of this country.

None of us, including the general public, should accept this and I would encourage everyone to contact their local MP and highlight that a properly funded long term safe and sustainable workforce plan for the NHS should be right at the top of the governments priorities.