NHS Confederation responds to the first day of RCN strikes

Responding to the first day of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) strikes, Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 

“The first RCN strike has gone as expected, with the NHS being able to maintain safe staffing levels across key services for patients and making sure that urgent and life-saving care have been prioritised.

“This is thanks to the cooperation between the union representatives, nurses and NHS organisations at local levels, which health leaders hope will continue next week.

“It is disappointing that some non-urgent and routine appointments and services have had to be either postponed or scaled down in the 44 NHS trusts in England where the RCN has focused its strike action in December. Patient safety and staffing the most critical services has had to be the number one priority.

“No health leader wanted to be in this situation and the strikes could have been avoided had the government attempted to find more common ground with the RCN on pay. The government cannot just sit back and let future strikes happen when patient care is on the line.

“The worry is that this is just the start, that strikes possibly being planned for January could be more severe and coordinated across the different unions, and that we could be in a position of stalemate for the foreseeable future. This benefits no one and the government must act.”