On 15 December up to 100,000 nursing staff took part in strikes in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, in objection to years of real-terms pay cuts and concerns over patient safety.
RCN General Secretary & 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.
“It is not unreasonable to demand better. This is not something that can wait. We are committed to our patients and always will be.”
Denise Kelly, Chair of the RCN Trade Union Committee, said: "Enough is enough. We have reached crisis point. We have been underpaid, undervalued for the safety critical nature of the role we do. But this is not just about pay, this is also about patient safety."
For patients. For the future of the NHS. For our profession.
Nursing staff on the picket line and those supporting explain why it's so critical their voices are heard...
I don鈥檛 want to strike but I鈥檓 forced to
"I鈥檓 a Filipino nurse and have been nursing here for the last two years. I鈥檓 here today to represent international nurses and also to save lives.
"Understaffing is really a problem and during this winter pressure it鈥檚 a significant trouble.
"If we could get fair pay, we鈥檇 be able to cope better with the high cost of living. I don鈥檛 want to strike but I鈥檓 forced to, to fight for my rights and the rights of my colleagues. This is for the benefit of everyone."
Anrei, band 5 nurse in A&E
I love being a nurse, I love caring for people, it breaks my heart that I'm stood here today
"Nursing numbers are dropping, staff sickness is getting worse, patient safety is being compromised every single day. I’ve had enough of working short staffed, having one nurse to 10 patients– it’s incredibly unsafe for me and our patients are suffering.
"In these conditions, nursing has become more task-orientated than patient-centred care. Better pay means better working conditions which will allow us to help our patients in the way that they deserve.
"It feels awful to be out here on strike. I woke up this morning feeling incredibly sick. I hate being here, I wish I was upstairs working. I love being a nurse, I love caring for people, it breaks my heart that I’m stood here to do this but I’m only at the beginning of my career and I can’t carry on like this so that’s why I'm stood here today."
Tansy, staff nurse
I was really torn making the decision but things have got to change
"I鈥檓 here because enough is enough. I became a nurse because I wanted to make a difference, to improve care and look after patients. We just can鈥檛 do it anymore, there鈥檚 not enough of us and patients are suffering. I want to be able to do the job that I came into the profession to do and I don鈥檛 feel like I can with staffing levels as they are.
"Nobody wants to come into nursing now. It鈥檚 not rewarding anymore, you don鈥檛 get paid well enough, you don鈥檛 get recognised for what you do. It鈥檚 a shame.
"I think it鈥檚 really sad to be here today. I was really torn making the decision to strike but things have got to change. There needs to be a future for the NHS. Patients come first."
Leonie, tissue viability nurse in the community
Our profession needs some serious intervention
"We’re really at a critical point where our profession needs some serious intervention. It’s a very difficult choice to come and strike and we’ve done our very best to safeguard our patient care, but ultimately patient care is jeopardised every day due to unsafe staffing levels so this is really to highlight those issues.
"If you look at what our role entails now compared to 20 or 30 years ago, lots of us are working well beyond those traditional views of what nursing is and I think all we’re looking for is to have fair pay that reflects our skills and ability."
Jack, charge nurse
We’ve gone through many different emotions but now we’re angry
"We need more nurses. I personally know lots of nurses who have left the profession completely. And part of that is the pay. We’re not getting paid enough. But it's not even about that. No one comes into nursing for the pay, let’s be honest.
"We do it because we care and we want to make a difference in the world. But because of the pay, we’re not getting nurses in anymore so it’s not safe for patients.
"Personally, I’m fed up. I’m seeing nurses breakdown, I’m seeing nurses cry at the end of shifts. We’ve gone through many different emotions but now we’re angry. Especially after covid, what nurses went through in covid. We’re angry and something’s got to change."
Amal, staff nurse
"I鈥檝e been a nurse for 22 years. I鈥檓 a senior nurse and the thing I鈥檝e noticed over the last few years is how difficult it is for me to recruit staff. And that's a problem because the first thing you need to do to make care effective is to have the staffing level right.
"We don鈥檛 just want the minimum for safety, we need the 鈥榖est staffing level鈥� that enables us to make improvements, to release people for training, to give people their breaks. The best staffing so we can achieve optimum care.
"Being out here today is a historic moment. If the government aren鈥檛 even going to negotiate, it just shows that they鈥檙e not interested. That鈥檚 what needs to happen. They need to start to talk to us."
Ian, ophthalmic nurse in A&E
We've been undermined and overlooked
"I鈥檓 here to protest and ensure that we get fair pay. We鈥檝e not been appreciated as a profession, we鈥檝e been undermined and overlooked. For me, after the pandemic, the pay award was an insult.
"I feel empowered being out on strike today. I think we鈥檝e held off, held off, held off, and obviously we want safety for our patients 鈥�&苍产蝉辫;we don鈥檛 want our colleagues to be overburdened by us being out here 鈥� but I just think something had to be done and said.
"If they won't listen to us, then we have to do something like this. I think a fair pay rise would help with staff retention and there would be respect, acknowledgement and appreciation for what we do."
Audrie, clinical nurse specialist
"Nursing is a passion, it鈥檚 something you go in to knowing you鈥檙e going to give a lot of yourself to the job, and I think our pay needs to reflect that.
"It was so much harder to walk out on strike than I thought it would be. Especially in my role as a senior person, I go on shift to make sure not only patients are safe but that my staff members are safe as well and that I鈥檓 there to help and lead.
"Getting fair pay would help us to feel that the nursing role is valued. We all work really hard and all our patients say 鈥測ou鈥檙e doing a fabulous job, we support you and think you should get the pay you deserve鈥�, but it needs to be reflected in the way the government treats us.
"They鈥檙e always saying the NHS is the stalwart of the country and they鈥檙e so proud of it but it doesn鈥檛 reflect in their attitudes and actions towards the NHS at all and I think a pay rise is just one step in making sure we are truly, actually funding the NHS and that we do want it to run the way it鈥檚 supposed to. To show that it is the shining beacon in the country that they say it is."
Lesley, deputy ward sister
The action does not end here.
There were more strikes on 18 and 19 January and 6 and 7 February
Find out more about our Fair Pay For Nursing campaign and get updates on strike action.
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