Northern Ireland

Warning of 'significant disruption' to health services ahead of strikes

Unison members protest over safe staffing and pay
Unison members protest over safe staffing and pay Unison members protest over safe staffing and pay

HOSPITALS are bracing themselves for serious disruption this week, with two trade unions set to take industrial action over pay and staffing levels.

The Health and Social Care Board has said it anticipates "significant disruption to services".

Unison members, including nurses, ambulance staff, clerical workers and social care employees, are continuing their industrial action with strikes today, tomorrow and Thursday.

On Tuesday, members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will refuse to work unpaid hours or do any task that is not patient-specific, ahead of a strike on Wednesday, December 18.

In response, the Belfast Trust has cancelled all outpatient appointments and planned surgery, affecting 10,000 people.

The Royal Victoria Hospital, Children's Hospital, Royal Jubilee Maternity Hospital, School of Dentistry, Belfast City Hospital, Mater Hospital and Musgrave Park Hospital will all be affected.

A spokesperson said that "due to the extraordinary circumstances and the large number of people affected", it is asking people not to ring to reschedule their appointments and that it will be in touch in due course.

A limited number of outpatient appointments will go ahead, including scheduled chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Emergency services and day centres are not affected.

The South Eastern HSC Trust said all routine outpatient appointments at the Ulster Hospital have been cancelled on Wednesday, with the exception of maternity and children’s services.

On Friday, outpatients departments at Ulster, Lagan Valley, Downe, Ards and Bangor Hospitals will be closed in the afternoon while day case surgery at Lagan Valley Hospital has been cancelled.

The medical day case unit and dermatology laser unit at the Ulster Hospital will be closed all day Friday while the cath lab and ambulatory hubs at Ulster Hospital will be closed in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the trade unions have rejected an appeal by the Department of Health to stop the action and enter into talks.

Permanent secretary Richard Pengelly said last week it was clear the health service "is in an extremely fragile state" and that "industrial action will certainly exacerbate this situation".

He appealed to unions not to "allow a bad situation to become worse" and said the department did not have the budget or authority to meet union demands on pay for this year.

A spokesperson for the HSC Trade Unions said the health trade unions had considered the department's statement and concluded "there is not a basis for suspension of industrial action".

He said: "Employers and the department have been fully informed as to what is required to resolve the current impasse. We have been talking for almost a year.

"Department of Health and employers and all those in the leadership in the health services have a clear responsibility to access the funding and fulfil their obligations to lift pay as offered to other health workers across the UK as part of the Agenda for Change Refresh Framework."

Pat Cullen, director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Northern Ireland, said nurses would be angry and disappointed to learn that outpatient appointments at the Belfast Trust have been cancelled.

She said: “Nurses will still be at work on Tuesday, December 3 and at no stage has the Royal College of Nursing indicated that nursing staff will not look after patients, quite the reverse."