Why U.K. Nurses Voted to Strike for the First Time Ever —and What That Means for Hospitals

It was late last Thursday when Naomi Fullen Somers, a young nurse at Derbyshire Community Health Services, finished tending to her last patient. The 23-year-old was used to working overtime most days of the week, but that day, her shift had been particularly long and stressful. As she walked to her car, she glanced at a notification that had popped up on her phone. It was an announcement from The Royal College of Nursing, which read, “Nursing staff vote to strike in the majority of NHS employers across the UK.” Somers sighed with relief: “I just thought, ‘thank god,’ because things really need to change,” she recalled. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] For the first time in 106 years, the Royal College of Nursing, or RCN, has decided to strike after a ballot vote on industrial action with more than 300,000 union members took place last week, demanding better pay and citing concerns for patient safety. The RCN anticipates nurses at most of the state-run National Health Services, as well as many of the country’s biggest hospitals, to take part in the strikes, which are expected to begin before the end of this year. “Anger has become action–our members are saying enough is enough,” RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said in a statement. “Our members will no longer tolerate a financial knife-edge at home and a raw deal at work.” Jonathan Brady—PA Wire/APNurses with placards outside the Roya...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 Explainer Londontime Source Type: news