Nurses’ strike over May bank holiday presents ‘serious challenge’ to NHS, health leader warns

An all-out nurses’ strike over the May bank holiday will present “serious risks and challenges” to the NHS, a health leader has warned.

Sir Julian Hartley, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the “unprecedented” strike action – which will involve staff in emergency departments, intensive care units and cancer care for the first time – was “extremely worrying”.

He also said the threat of coordinated industrial action with junior doctors could result in the “most difficult challenge” for the NHS to date.

Sir Julian told BBC Breakfast: “If this takes place in the way that it’s been described, then it would be the first time that we’ve seen nurses not working in those key areas, which of course would present serious risks and challenges for trusts to manage and mitigate that.”

Nick Hulme, chief executive of Ipswich and Colchester hospitals, told Radio 4 the latest round of nurses’ strikes will “significantly increase the risk to patients”, adding cancer patients will face greater risks as care could be delayed.

He said: “If there is a delay to cancer care, some delays won’t cause significant effects, but there are many people who have been waiting far too long for care and this will only exacerbate that risk."

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Source: The Independent, 16 April 2023