Steve Barkley faces mother of sick daughter over ‘horrendous damage’ to NHS
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Hospitals in the West Midlands said A&E patients were being turned away as emergency departments at Worcestershire and Redditch Health System declared a critical incident.
The declaration of a critical incident means trusts can focus their resources on patients most in need and highlights how much pressure services are under.
Emergency and emergency services across the country have experienced the highest levels of demand and delays ever seen in the last 48 hours.
It comes after eight out of 10 ambulance services in England declared critical incidents as NHS services across the country face “unprecedented” pressure ahead of a planned strike by thousands of paramedics.
Nurses are on strike for a second day on Tuesday, while paramedics will walk out on Wednesday.
North East Ambulance, South East Coast, East of England, South Central Ambulance and Yorkshire Ambulance Service have moved to the status where staff work to respond to calls.
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Hospitals to turn away patients from emergency rooms after declaring a critical incident
NHS chiefs in the West Midlands have admitted patients are being put at risk as “extreme pressure” forces A&Es to turn away patients regardless of whether they are admitted elsewhere, The Independent revealed yesterday.
Emergency departments at Worcestershire and Redditch Health System have declared a critical incident and warned of delays in offloading patients from ambulances to A&E.
Hospitals in the region could be forced to place ITU patients in corridors if pressure on emergency departments and ambulances is not eased, according to an email seen by The Independent.
Our health correspondent Rebecca Thomas has the full report here:
Andy Gregory December 21, 2022 4:58 am
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The railway will be crippled for a week in January as the union stages another strike
Train drivers will stage another strike in the first week of January, threatening a week of rail chaos as Britons return to work after the holiday break.
Members of the drivers’ union Aslef in 15 rail companies will walk out on Thursday, January 5.
It comes on top of existing strikes by members of the RMT union at Network Rail and 14 train operators on January 3 and 4 and January 6 and 7, meaning services will be crippled for a week.
Alan Jones December 21, 2022 at 3:54 am
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Enforcing pay requirements would take money away from frontline services, Barkley says
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said meeting NHS staff pay requirements would take resources away from frontline services.
“Times are challenging but we have fully accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS pay review body, which means most ambulance staff have received an increase of at least 4 per cent,” he said.
“This will bring average incomes to around £47,000 per person. Further pay rises would mean taking money away from frontline services at a time when we are dealing with record waiting lists as a result of the pandemic.”
Andy Gregory December 21, 2022 02:51 am
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The health minister is urging people to take “extra care” on Wednesday
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has urged the public to take “extra care” as ambulance staff strike in a bid to partially address a decade of falling real wages.
Mr Barclay described Wednesday’s staff walkout in England and Wales as “deeply regrettable” and insisted his “number one priority” was patient safety. With fewer ambulances on the road, he urged people to plan their activities “accordingly” and check on vulnerable neighbors and families.
“Our ambulance crew are incredibly dedicated to their work and it is deeply regrettable that some union members are taking strike action. My number one priority is to keep patients safe,” he said.
“The Government and NHS colleagues are working to protect safe staffing levels. However, there will be fewer ambulances on the roads due to industrial action and the NHS will prioritize those with life-threatening needs.
“My message to the public is to be extra careful and plan your activities accordingly. You may also want to check on more vulnerable friends, family and neighbors.
Andy Gregory December 21, 2022 1:44 am
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The Nurses’ Union of Wales has condemned the Government’s “absolute silence”.
Nicky Hughes, associate director of nursing at the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, claimed that Welsh Health Secretary Eluned Morgan had refused the union’s calls to enter into pay talks.
Nurses were prepared to “continue the fight” if no agreement was reached, Ms Hughes said, adding that discussions were ongoing on what the union’s next steps would be.
“We saw such an impact on the day with many of our members on the pickets and members of the public were so generous and supportive throughout. I think we have the public behind us and that’s really important,” Ms Hughes said.
“But we have had complete silence from the Welsh Government. The Health Minister last asked us to go to a meeting as a union on the 12th and again there was nothing on the table in terms of meaningful remuneration.
“We kept asking them to come back and start negotiations, we even called on First Minister Mark Drakeford yesterday to come to the table and prevent today’s strike, but there was only silence.
“The Welsh Government says it is because of the Westminster Government, but in Wales health is a devolved matter and the Welsh Government must properly manage and fund the NHS in Wales. If they don’t, we’ll continue bleeding the nurses. As it is, the NHS is on a knife edge.
Andy Gregory December 21, 2022 12:40 am
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NHS official calls for nurses to be ‘decently paid for the responsibilities they carry’
Speaking outside Cardiff’s Heath Hospital, Helen Perriam, a mental health nurse for 10 years, told the PA news agency that her family was living “cheque to paycheque” and called for nurses to have “decent pay for their responsibilities [they] hold’.
Ms Perriam accused the UK Government of “crushing” nurses and said the decision not to award a bigger pay rise was political.
Andy Gregory December 20, 2022 11:48 pm
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‘The clock is ticking’ for Sunac to avoid nurses’ strikes after Christmas, union chief says
“The clock is ticking” for Rishi Sunak to start negotiations to avoid nurses calling post-Christmas strikes by the end of the week, Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen has warned.
Tuesday’s 12-hour walkout, the second in less than a week, saw around 10,000 NHS nurses in England, Wales and Northern Ireland walk off the job, with many taking to pickets to voice concerns about pay , staffing levels and patient safety.
“Today the Prime Minister seemed out of step with the country he leads. But he could still make this the last nurses’ strike of his premiership,” Ms Cullen said.
“With the end of today’s strike, time is running out for the Prime Minister. There are two days to meet and start turning this around before Christmas. We will announce next month’s strike dates and hospitals by Friday.
“Westminster may be closing for Christmas tonight, but medical staff are preparing for their shifts over the next two weeks and looking forward to the new year with trepidation. We are not looking for a miracle, just the fair pay and recognition that is in the Prime Minister’s gift.”
The RCN is calling for nurses to receive a 5 per cent pay rise plus inflation. The current rate of inflation in the UK is over 10 percent.
Andy Gregory December 20, 2022 10:52 pm
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Eight out of 10 ambulances in England declare critical incidents
Eight of England’s 10 ambulance services declared critical incidents as NHS chiefs warned they could not guarantee patient safety in the face of strikes by thousands of paramedics.
Announcing critical incidents, emergency services said they had been under “extreme” and sustained pressure in recent days, partly attributed to the huge volumes of emergency 999 calls and delays in transferring patients to hospitals.
Emergency 999 calls are up 50 per cent on this time last year and 111 calls are also up 75 over the same period, according to South West Ambulance Service.
You can read the full report here:
Andy Gregory December 20, 2022 10:24 pm
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ICYMI: Heart attack and stroke patients may be denied ambulances during a strike
People suffering heart attacks or strokes at home may not be able to get an ambulance home when staff strike on Wednesday, NHS officials said.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay will meet union representatives on Tuesday to push for both Category 1 calls, the most immediately life-threatening cases, and Category 2 calls – including heart attacks and strokes – to be answered.
Members of the GMB, Unison and Unite unions are to strike at ambulance services in England and Wales, but fears are growing that the provision of emergency services will be disrupted in many parts of the country.
Read the full story below:
Thomas Kingsley December 20, 2022 10:00 pm
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A strike by nurses after Christmas is “highly likely”, the director of the Royal College of Nursing has warned
There is a “high likelihood” nurses will strike again after Christmas if the Welsh Government maintains its “silence”, the head of the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
Nicky Hughes, associate director of nursing at RCN Wales, claimed that Health Minister Eluned Morgan had refused all calls by the union to enter into pay negotiations with them until and during the strike day on Tuesday.
Ms Hughes said nurses were prepared to “continue the fight” if no agreement was reached, but said discussions were still ongoing about the union’s next steps…
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