Nurses strike: every NHS Trust affected in UK as RCN members vote to strike over pay

Nursing staff at the majority of NHS employers across the UK have voted to strike over pay.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced its first ever national strike in its 106-year history on Wednesday and said industrial action will take place in the NHS trusts or health boards that have met the legal requirements.

Many of the country’s biggest hospitals will be affected by the strike, including Guys and St Thomas’ opposite Parliament, the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, University Hospital Wales and Belfast’s Royal Victoria. However, some narrowly missed the legal turnout thresholds to qualify for action. All NHS employers in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be included and all bar one in Wales met the relevant legal thresholds.

More than 300,000 members voted in the nursing union’s biggest ever strike ballot and thousands of NHS operations and appointments are now set to be cancelled as a result.

Industrial action is expected to begin before the end of this year and the RCN’s mandate to organise strikes runs until early May 2023, six months after members finished voting.

The health service will turn its attention to treating emergency patients in a “life-preserving care model”, with sources saying some hospitals on strike days will have staffing levels similar to those over Christmas.

Some of the most serious cancer cases could still be treated, while urgent diagnostic procedures and assessments will be staffed if they are needed to gather data on potentially life-threatening conditions or those that could lead to permanent disability.

Other health worker unions including Unison and the GMB will announce the result of strike ballots before the end of the month among staff including ambulance drivers and paramedics, hospital porters and cleaners. Physiotherapists started voting over industrial action on Monday, while a ballot of midwives opens on Friday.

The unions are protesting over a pay award earlier this year of £1,400 for most NHS workers, with the RCN calling for a rise of 5% above the rate of inflation.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said the anger of nursing staff over pay had “become action” and said the strike will be “as much for patients as it is for nurses”. She said: “Anger has become action – our members are saying enough is enough. The voice of nursing in the UK is strong and I will make sure it is heard. Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.

“Ministers must look in the mirror and ask how long they will put nursing staff through this. While we plan our strike action, next week’s Budget is the UK government’s opportunity to signal a new direction with serious investment. Across the country, politicians have the power to stop this now and at any point.

“This action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses. Standards are falling too low and we have strong public backing for our campaign to raise them. This winter, we are asking the public to show nursing staff you are with us.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said the government had accepted recommendations from the independent Pay Review Body, adding: “Our priority is keeping patients safe during any strikes. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”

Which NHS Trusts will be affected?

Only NHS trusts or health boards where voting passed the legal threshold for industrial action will be affected by strikes, but this includes the majority of NHS employers across the UK. The full list of NHS Trusts that will be affected by the nurses strike is as follows:

England

• Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
• Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust
• Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust
• Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
• Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust
• Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
• Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
• Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
• Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust
• Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
• Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Found Trust
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Found Trust
• The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
• Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
• Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Found Trust
• Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust
• St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
• The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust
• Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust
• University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust
• Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
• Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust
• The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
• East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
• South East Coast Ambulance Service
• Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
• Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
• University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
• South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
• Solent NHS Trust
• Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
• Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
• Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Devon Partnership NHS Trust
• South Western Ambulance Service NHS Found Trust
• Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust
• Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• North Bristol NHS Trust
• Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
• Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
• Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
• Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
• Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
• Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
• Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
• Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
• Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust
• The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
• Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
• University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
• Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
• Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Dudley Integrated Health and Care NHS Trust
• Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
• Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
• Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust
• The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Sheffield Children’s NHS Trust

Wales

• Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
• Powys Teaching Local Health Board
• Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust Headquarters
• Hywel Dda University Health Board
• Swansea Bay University Health Board
• Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
• Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board
• Velindre NHS Trust

Scotland

• NHS Borders
• NHS Education For Scotland
• NHS Fife
• NHS National Services Scotland
• NHS Shetland
• NHS Western Isles
• NHS Dumfries and Galloway
• NHS Orkney
• NHS Golden Jubilee
• NHS 24
• The State Hospitals Board for Scotland
• NHS Grampian
• NHS Tayside
• NHS Ayrshire and Arran
• The Highland Council
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland
• Public Health Scotland
• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• Scottish Ambulance Service
• NHS Lothian
• NHS Lanarkshire
• NHS Highland
• NHS Forth Valley

Northern Ireland

• Practice and Education Council
• Southern Health and Social Care Trust
• Western Health and Social Care Trust
• Belfast Health and Social Care Trust
• Business Services Organisation
• Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority
• Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
• Public Health Agency
• Northern Health and Social Care Trust
• South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
• Northern Ireland Ambulance Service