Fears NHS operations will be axed as nurses set to strike next month
NURSES are set to strike next month, sparking fears operations will be axed.
Votes are being counted on a first mass NHS walkout with results expected this week.
Contingency plans for essential services are being made, with priority given to departments such as Accident and Emergency, a senior minister said yesterday.
The Royal College of Nursing is demanding a five per cent pay rise above the current 12.3 per cent retail prices inflation rate for its 300,000 members.
Emergency care will be maintained during any action.
But Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden urged nurses to reconsider.
He said: “If you are in the situation where you have a large number of nurses going out on strike of course that is going to have an impact, for example on some elective surgery and other activities.”
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He said the Government had already agreed “quite considerable support” for nurses.
He told Sky News: “We will make sure we prioritise the most essential services — emergency services and so on.”
The RCN said wages had fallen by 20 per cent since 2010.
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General secretary Pat Cullen said: “Our action will be as much for patients as it is for nurses.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We urge them to carefully consider the potential impact on patients.”