Nursing staff are on the front line of delivering health services. We see firsthand how government policy made in Westminster impacts the lives of real people in our communities. To remain silent in the face of harm and injustice is in my mind, a dereliction of our duty as nursing professionals.
Last week, the Strikes Minimum Service Levels Bill received Royal Assent and became law despite having been defeated in the House of Lords earlier this month. This legislation has nothing to do with guaranteeing minimum service levels and instead everything to do with removing power from trade unions and their members.
The irony is also not lost on me that this government only wants to talk about minimum service levels on strike days – the rest of the year it seems content to have dangerously understaffed services running as the norm. This is simply not good enough.
The government’s Illegal Migration Bill also received Royal Assent last week. The new law represents a backwards step which undermines fundamental human rights enshrined in international law. By removing the right to apply for asylum, we fear that rather than deter small boat crossings, it will make it harder for refugees and migrants to access vital health services. We are also deeply concerned that the change in law will lead to even more overcrowding in detention centres, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of those being held in them.
We know this is an important issue for our members who passed a key motion at this year’s RCN Congress, so we continue to lobby the government to ensure fair access to health provision for refugees and asylum seekers.
The UK government also made an announcement on public sector pay – one that once again saw the nation’s most trusted profession receive the lowest pay award. I wasted no time in letting Health Minister Steve Barclay know how I felt - his actions continue to exacerbate the detrimental long-term impact of low pay and inadequate funding of our profession.
If you’re one of the 40,000 nursing staff employed by GP practices, please write to your employer to ensure that the increased GP contract payment from the government is passed on to you.
In Northern Ireland, RCN Director Rita Devlin recently spoke out about the crisis in emergency care that is unfolding. Rita visited Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital at the request of members working in emergency care. She observed that patients were waiting for days in corridors and described the conditions as “scandalous”. We once again call on Northern Ireland’s politicians to restore the Executive and start addressing the crisis in health and social care.
Our strike action in Wales was postponed recently whilst conversations with the Welsh government took place on a number of non-pay elements to improve the working lives of NHS nursing staff in Wales. These talks have now concluded and eligible members will be balloted on the revised offer from Monday 31 July to Thursday 31 August, so make sure your details are up to date on My RCN to have your say.
In Scotland, we have started attending meetings for the four workstreams of the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, which was secured as a direct result of the RCN’s campaigning on safe staffing and pay. The workstreams are focused on culture and leadership, wellbeing, attraction and retention, and education and development. Both nursing and midwifery staff will have an opportunity to give their views as part of the Taskforce in a listening exercise which will begin later in the summer. The Taskforce presents a real opportunity to deliver positive change and secure the nursing workforce Scotland needs. It must look at how we retain experienced nursing staff, attract more people into the profession and ensure nursing is a career of choice once again.
We recently signed a joint letter highlighting the impact of a lack of funding for mental health support on NHS staff. At a time when morale amongst nursing staff is at an all-time low, workloads continue to mount, and you continue to work under unsustainable pressures, opting not to fund vital support for NHS workers is reckless and shortsighted.
You continue to demonstrate your willingness to take direct action to challenge the inequalities you see. Earlier this week, our members in the Isle of Man took to picket lines for the first time in the island’s history to fight for a pay award they deserve.
If reading all of the above has made you angry and determined, get involved in mobilising your colleagues to take action on issues such as pay, working conditions and safe staffing by joining one of our upcoming Building Power workshops. These sessions will empower you with the skills and confidence to take on the issues that matter in your workplace.
