North East nurses will go on strike for the first time ever in a national walkout next month in a dramatic escalation of the ongoing pay row raging across the NHS.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced its members will stage their first ever national walkout on December 15 and 20.

Earlier this month, the RCN announced that nursing staff at the majority of NHS employers across the UK had voted to take strike action over pay and patient safety.

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The RCN said that despite a pay rise of around £1,400 awarded in the summer, experienced nurses are worse off by 20% in real terms due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.

North East RCN leaders claimed last night that the Government was ‘completely unwilling’ to listen to concerns about patient safety, unsafe staffing levels and low pay.

RCN Northern Region Operational Manager Peta Clark told The Northern Echo: “It’s incredibly sad that our nursing staff have been forced into this position by this government’s complete unwillingness to listen to their concerns about patient safety, unsafe staffing levels and low pay. 

“Ministers have the power to stop this at any time by coming to the negotiating table and taking into account the significant concerns of nursing staff.

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“No safety-critical, multi-skilled, degree-educated professional should have to accept a salary worth a fifth less than it was a decade ago. Nursing salaries have not kept up with inflation and this is the consequence. The blame can be laid firmly at the government’s door.

“Our members are saying enough is enough – our good will has been taken for granted for too long. They have had enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give patients the care they deserve. Workforce shortages and low pay have made care unsafe. We are striking as much for patients as for ourselves.

“Recent polling showed that nursing is the UK’s most trusted profession, and the public are supportive of our action, as they appreciate the value of a good nurse.

“The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care should do the same before the workforce crisis becomes so acute that we have no one left to care for us.”

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The RCN said the economic argument for paying nursing staff fairly was clear when billions of pounds was being spent on agency staff to plug workforce gaps.

It added that in the last year, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register, with poor pay contributing to staff shortages across the UK, which it warned was affecting patient safety.

There are 47,000 unfilled registered nurse posts in England’s NHS alone, said the RCN.

Other health unions are also balloting workers for industrial action, while ambulance staff in Scotland are due to walk out on Monday.

A ballot among hundreds of thousands of Unison members closes on Friday, and among Unite’s NHS members next week.

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Midwives and physiotherapists are also voting on strikes, while a ballot of junior doctors opens in the new year.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “I am hugely grateful for the hard work and dedication of nurses and deeply regret some union members will be taking industrial action.

“These are challenging times for everyone and the economic circumstances mean the RCN’s demands, which on current figures are a 19.2% pay rise, costing £10 billion a year, are not affordable.

“We have prioritised the NHS with an extra £6.6 billion, on top of previous record funding, and accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body to give nurses a fair pay rise of at least £1,400 this year. This means a newly qualified nurse will typically earn over £31,000 a year – with more senior nurses earning much more than that – they will also receive a pension contribution worth 20% of their salary.

“Our priority is keeping patients safe. The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”

But Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting questioned why his Tory counterpart was ‘refusing to negotiate’ with nurses.

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Mr Streeting said: “Why on Earth is the Health Secretary refusing to negotiate with nurses? Patients already can’t get treated on time, strike action is the last thing they need, yet the Government is letting this happen. Patients will never forgive the Conservatives for this negligence.

“First the Government refused to speak to the health unions all summer, now they refuse to negotiate. If the Conservatives have given up governing, they should stand aside for Labour.

“There were no strikes in the NHS during the 13 years of the last Labour government and the cavalry is coming with the next Labour government. We will abolish non-doms to launch the biggest expansion of medical training in history, giving the NHS the staff it needs so that nurses aren’t overworked and patients are seen on time.”

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