Nurses at two Kettering hospitals take to picket lines in first ever RCN strike

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) staff based at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) and St Mary’s Hospital have been on picket lines this morning in their first ever strike.

Despite freezing cold temperatures staff, who were not needed to maintain a safe service, showed their support for the industrial action.

Up to 100,000 RCN nursing staff are taking part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, to highlight ‘real-terms’ pay cuts and concerns over patient safety.

A further day of strike action is planned for Tuesday, December 20.

Standing on the picket line outside St Mary’s Hospital, Ian Graham, a community psychiatric nurse for 42 years and regional board chairman for the East Midlands RCN, said: “We have had a lot of support from the public.

"It feels weird to be on strike. There’s been a lot of soul searching – when is a good time to strike? We don’t want to inconvenience people but we hope they understand that this has been thought about for a long time. The time has now come for us to take action.”

Ian added: “Thanks to the public for their support. I would like to thank the trust for making sure we have the minimum staffing needed. We continue to work with them to continue patient safety.”

As in London Road, RCN colleagues formed a picket line in Rothwell Road outside KGH with hundreds of motorists ‘tooting’ their support. The few motorists shouting they ‘should get back to work’ were massively outnumbered by those hooting to bolster morale.

Nurse Suzy Edgar said: “The support that we have had has been overwhelming. People have dropped off biscuits. We believe we have the support of the public. It’s not all about pay, it’s about getting people back into the profession and protecting the NHS.

"I don’t want to be on strike. We want to be with our patients.”

More than 300,000 NHS nursing staff were balloted at individual organisations rather than nationally as part of the RCN's biggest strike vote in its history.

Despite action to be taken at KGH, Northamptonshire Health Foundation Trust and East Midlands Ambulance Service, Northampton General Hospital, "narrowly missed" the strict legal turnout thresholds required allowing staff to take action.

Sue Totton has been nursing since 1977, first in the RAF and more recently at KGH. Already retired once, she came back to work on the wards.

She said: “It's a degree educated training. They take on the £9,000 a year debt. You could walk into Lidl and be on £12 an hour. A brand new qualified staff nurse gets £13 an hour. It’s about the hourly rate. People come to the wards and they feel like they have just scratched the surface. We want people to stay in the profession. I’m here for the wards, not for myself.”

RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “For many of us, this is our first time striking and our emotions are really mixed. The NHS is in crisis, the nursing profession can’t take any more, our loved ones are already suffering.”