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

You have to love MN a "40 year career". So some people will be nurses at 70+ years old! 😂😂😂😂

I thought the RCN specifically asked agency nurses not to work. I think there might be a backlash against them if they did. There was something about minimum staffing happening during the strike. But I still can't tell if it's individual strike days or weeks that are announced in advance, or if it's a continuous strike that goes on for days/weeks until resolved.

The teacher unions, for example, aren't currently balloting members in private schools because the pay dispute doesn't affect them and that wouldn't be allowed

well that’s not true. I teach in an independent and have been balloted. My details are up to date with the union as well.

Def support the strike and i hope my DD votes for strike action, she is a AHP.
But i also think this Govt will not back down, their press will portray the strikers as left wing cruel, un caring and doubtless come up with a few heart breaking stories of treatment delays or even worse.

Junior Doc's got nothing from Hunt but i hope the nurses show more backbone and dont cave in.... any patient safety issues are on the Tories.... not the staff.

I'm more senior than a newly qualified nurse however if they go with the Scottish offer of a set amount for everyone, it will erode the pay premium of senior posts so instead of being unable to recruit junior staff, you will be unable to recruit senior staff.

This is how LGA is dealing with the cost of living crisis. Together with Unions they have accepted a set amount of about £1925 for everyone backdated to April 2022. It means lower paid will receive above inflation while high earners as a % get much lower. I think it's fairer as the we are all paying the same price for goods. It doesn't solve the NHS fair pay for nurses though. Nurses/HCAs need to be paid according to the level of responsibility they have.

It'll be emergency care only, with just immediate risk to life stuff being carried out. No electives, no clinics etc.

There is much merit in agreeing, say, a 12% increase, stemming attrition and introducing performance management to ensure high standards across the board moving forwards.

I now work in HE training healthcare students and a significant proportion (I'd say about 15%) say they're not going to work as HCPs once they're qualified. This is on top of the attrition rate during the degree.

One of the students said last week that "it's too intense", some were discussing how poorly paid they will be as NQ on Band 5 and said they'd rather work in Lidl. Some are getting qualified so they can set their own aesthetics business up. The 3rd years have asked me to put on a session for them discussing alternative career options.

introducing performance management to ensure high standards across the board moving forwards.

Is performance management not already in place within nursing?

Are you paid to scale?

I know other teachers who haven't been balloted. Maybe different unions.

Yes, what else can they do.

Maybe it’s been pointed out to you already, govt don’t pay banker’s bonuses.

A band 5 could earn a comparable wage working in retail if not commuting /paying for parking. Can absolutely see why people would choose this over running a 20 bed ward with unsafe staffing, no breaks and making life critical decisions with no support.

? Most nurses start at age 21. Pension age is 68. That’s 47yrs or 40yrs if you take off 7yrs to have 2 DC and take extended time off work (male or female nurse).

No they don't but when we're being told of the need to show restraint with pay increases to keep a lid on inflation getting out of hand it is somewhat hypocritical! Everyone else tightens belt whilst bankers get to buy up property etc.

nurses aren’t staying for 40 years, it’s a pointless argument.

I'm sure you just make stuff up to back your spurious arguments and hatred of nurses/nhs

Average age for a student starting their (3yr) training is 29 and the average career span is just 25 years.

Nursing and midwifery students have a much older age profile than other students. The average age of nursing students surveyed in 29, with a half of all nursing students aged over 25. A third of nursing students starting degree courses are aged over 25, compared with just 16 per cent starting other health degrees and one in ten across all degree subjects

House of Commons Library report to Health Committee.

I'm in hospital at the moment following surgery. I support the strike 100% . The nurses are run ragged and don't have time to provide the person-centred care they would like to be able to.

Do you also object to other private sector professions getting bigger pay rises? This kind of argument only infantilises the debate.

It’s not a race to the bottom, as it often said by MNers.

And I agree with a pp about useless doctors..the doctors I have seen have been rude, dismissive and not helpful at all. My consultant is great but being in hospital over the weekend it's the junior doctors here and it's the nurses who keep things safe not the doctors..and they're paid a pittance for it.

I don't wants a race to the bottom. Far from it. Just fair pay.

This is v true. Junior drs need a lot of support which is fine but will be a problem if no senior nurses around to provide it.

So the govt message that we must have pay restraint or we'll get run away inflation is wrong?

Apparently the argument by Govt is that Ftse100 directors (and other senior board members) should get a 29% pay rise as they are in a global market for talent.

Fair enough but why doesn't that apply to HCP's who are also in a global market?
There are far more Nurses moving from the UK to Aus/NZ and Canada etc than company directors.

You’re just not comprehending that “average age” includes those starting second careers as nurses in their 40s artificially raising the starting age of an RN and also artificially reducing “average career length” of RNs 🤣

According to NMC Register figures, the biggest age demographic of UK Registered Nurses is the 51-60 age group with 193,502 Registered Nurses.
Other demographics are:
Below 21 = 28
21-30 = 120,401
31-40 = 191,403
41-50 = 185,125
51-60 = 193,502
61-70 = 64,332
71+= 3,512

The number of Registered Nurses working in potential retirement age grew in the last year by 4.2%
www.nurses.co.uk/blog/stats-and-facts-uk-nursing-social-care-and-healthcare-2022/