NHS bosses have warned that striking nurses will walk out again in January unless the government boosts its pay offer, despite fears for patient safety
Thousands of patients to have operations cancelled, as nurses push ahead with strikes after pay talks break down
The RCN has said it will still staff chemotherapy, emergency cancer services, dialysis, critical care units, neonatal and paediatric intensive care.Some areas of mental health and learning disability and autism services are also exempt, while trusts have been told they can request staffing for specific clinical needs.It comes after Chancellor and former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt refused to rule out curbing nurses' right to strike in future.
But ministers have said the level of pay rise the RCN is demanding is “unreasonable and unaffordable”.He said: “My number one priority is to keep patients safe. I’ve been working across government and with medics outside the public sector to ensure safe staffing levels, but I do remain concerned about the risk that strikes pose to patients.”
"We need to find a way as a Government, and the union does too, to get to that centre point, that point of agreement straight away," he said.She said: "Nurses are not relishing this, we are acting with a very heavy heart.
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