Do you agree with the nurses strike?

[borderterrierr]

Guardian reporting that the rcn strike has resulted in a yes vote and we'll be striking before Christmas.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/05/nurses-across-uk-vote-to-strike-in-first-ever-national-action?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

Patient's emergency care will be protected but it's a strike vote

No, because the people who are going to pay the price are the poor desperate bastards who need operations/care/whatever on that day.

There has to be some other way to effect change without hurting the people who need the nurses the most.

Health visitors I believe are band 7.

You are completely ignorant on the reality of nursing.

Pointing out your ignorance is not an insult

Yes

Although I would much rather big business tax evasion etc was tackled first.

Can I just say that most cancer services will continue like radiotherapy, chemotherapy etc. it's counted as non elective. I can't comment on maternity services because the royal college of midwives haven't even voted yet.

Hca absolutely deserve a pay rise and a band upgrade.

They should be a band 3

". RCN members who are employed by an NHS employer on Agenda for Change terms and conditions will be eligible to vote - and that includes nursing support workers, health care assistants and so on.
The papers were posted to eligible members on 6 October. If you have joined/changed details recently it will take a little longer for your papers to be sent.
If you don't have your papers by the end of the week, contact our membership team at redacted
Hope that helps,
Best wishes"

I got sent this because I asked the rcn about the eligibility of hcas to vote and strike and receive pay rises.

Standard uniform exists nationwide in Scotland

@lolalouisa84 why has it taken since 1948 and a formal vote.to introduce standardised uniforms? It is utterly basic. The issue is that there's a tier of bureaucracy that makes it necessary.

@agahah HVs at band 7 is a greater national scandal than band 5's needing a pay rise. Band 7 for giving poor advice, filling out forms and no night shifts. It beggars belief.

No idea. I agree though it's ridiculous its taken to now to standardise. We have signs showing who wears what colour everywhere, but its still confusing at times even working there

I believe HVs also have to have atleast some masters modules or full masters to qualify. Ive not dealt with a HV in the better part of 15 years though

I'm not a HV but it sounds like you have had poor personal experiences.
I think it's important to separate some of the issues in that banding decisions and uniform expectations are not made by nursing staff.

@RosesAndHellebores you dont seem to be able to equate poor care with being underfunded and understaffed, and yes it has been going in for over 30 years. I've been a nurse for 37 years.

As for your friend, I have no words and would question how in touch she is with her staff. From my experience high ranking staff rarely, if ever, have any idea about the coal face. I've known many outpatient nurses in my time and I am insulted for them by this statement. Disgusting. She should be ashamed.

I work as a band 5 nurse and earn £12.70 ph. I absolutely make clinical decisions and I also am in charge of the whole hospice I work in over night or in the evening. I’m often the most senior person in the building. Responsible not only for clinical care but for securing the building, answering phone calls from community palliative care patients and often have to give advice to paramedics, district nurses and even GP’s.
I have over 20 years experience but had to leave my band 6 role due to the refusal of my flexible working request due to childcare.
I do admit I earn more for night shift and weekends but that is the standard rate for my role on a Monday to Friday day time hours. It’s so disheartening I absolutely love my hands on nursing role in palliative care but feel so undervalued every single day.

Yes I do support them 100%. The government is not listening.

Unless conditions improve more nurses will leave the professions and more patients will die.
yes this will affect care in the short term but in the long term we all benefit.

I also support the junior doctors when they strike in the new year.

100% should strike, doctors did! And nurses covered as much as possible.

Well... Most self employed people can't just set their own wages and working conditions. Or they can, but then nobody employs them, because they will find another self-employed person who'll do the job for less money in crap conditions. Self-employed people have no sick pay, no employer pension contributions, nobody to represent them if someone treats them like shit, no perks at all. Most self-employed people don't have Sundays off, or bank holidays, or evenings. I suppose if you're super-rich and self-employed, then you're onto a good thing. Most self-employed people are pretty poorly paid, though.

I always thought nurses worked 37.5hr a week (full time). But then there are lots of comments on here stating that nurses work 12hr shifts. If that is everyday, then full time nurses are working well over 40hrs per week 😧

@MCHammersmutha I can perfectly equate poor care with understaffing. However, my experience of the poorest nursing/midwifery care was on a ward where there were more midwives than patients (Xmas Day 1994). Even then all the staff did was complain about overwork. I asked to be shown how to bathe the baby before going home, cue the NHS eyeroll (I think there must be a module re the curaton of this). Even by 28th December there were more midwives than mothers yet they made me wait from 9am to 1pm until a member of ancillary staff was free after the maternity clinic because it wasn't their job. They weren't working, they were squealing about their Christmases at the nurse station which ensured the mothers they instructed to sleep when their babies slept couldn't.

Forgive me me if I find the staffing/overwork issues difficult to compute.

Totally depends on the setting. We have no HCAs in my team, we’re all nurses. I have a caseload of around 20 people I manage completely alone.

I totally agree they do a LOT and should be included. They are included in this, and they also have the vote.

generally, 3 contracted 12 hour shifts a week, then a make up shift once a month doing 4 in a week to get an averaged 37.5 over the month.

Every te >'ve said the nursing bursary should return with a caveat that seven years' service be given afterwards, I have been lambasted on here because it introduces an indenture and takes away a freedom. Cake and eating it I say.

My employers funded my professional quals. On completion I had to stay for three years or repay the cost on a sliding scale.

though, just to add, picking up extra shifts is pretty much expected so rarely do nurses in my team actually only do 3 12's a week 😅

@lolalouisa84 thanks for the explanation :)

@lolalouisa84 and if they do a 4th shift that's time and a half, double on Sundays and weekends? Many local.solicitors and accountants and civil servants work more than 48 hour weeks for the same money on that basis.