Hospital Chaos Looms: Greater Manchester Staff Set for New Pay Strikes

Hundreds of healthcare staff at four Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) hospitals in Greater Manchester are poised for further strike action next week amidst an ongoing dispute over overtime pay. More than 350 workers, including nurses, clinical support workers, and housekeepers, are expected to stage industrial action on Friday, October 2, and Monday, October 5. The affected hospitals are Salford Royal, Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital, and Rochdale Infirmary, all managed by the NCA.

Trade union Unison states that negotiations with the Trust have reached an impasse. Despite previous strikes in August and September and an agreement from Trust bosses to return to the negotiating table, Unison claims a concrete offer that can be presented to its members has yet to materialize. Kevin Dolan, UNISON North West regional organiser, expressed disappointment, stating that hopes for a swift resolution are fading as they await a finalized offer from the NCA.

The core of the dispute revolves around changes to the management of additional shifts, now handled by an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP). Unison asserts that these changes have led to a significant reduction in earnings for staff working additional shifts, with some losing as much as £80 per shift. Staff members have reported working five or six shifts a week, significantly more than usual, just to maintain their previous income levels.

These upcoming strikes will bring the total number of strike days to eleven. The industrial action has already had a substantial impact on patient care. During August, Trust bosses declared a critical incident, leading to the cancellation of 'several hundred' operations. Recent figures released by the NCA indicate that between 120 and 130 treatments, including vital cancer treatments, are cancelled for each day of industrial action. This severely reduces theatre capacity to levels typically seen on Christmas Day, allowing only trauma care and emergency operations to proceed.

Unison acknowledges the impact on patients, with Kevin Dolan emphasizing that members do not wish for cancellations, but attributes these disruptions to the Trust's 'failure to resolve a dispute entirely of its own making.' In response, the NCA confirmed the impending industrial action for periods spanning from Friday, October 2, to Saturday, October 3, and Monday, October 5, to Tuesday, October 6. They urged patients to attend appointments as planned unless directly contacted, reassuring the public that patient safety remains their top priority and efforts are underway to minimize disruption to essential services.

Gertie Nic Philib, NCA Chief People and Strategy Officer, stated that the Trust has made a 'fair and strong offer' to Unison, addressing many issues in the dispute. While Unison has agreed to present the offer to its members, it is not recommending acceptance. The NCA had requested Unison to suspend industrial action while members considered the proposal, but this was declined. The Trust remains committed to resolving the dispute through negotiation but emphasizes its primary focus on maintaining safe services and mitigating the impact of strikes on patients, lamenting the further harm industrial action will inflict.

The current strikes also occur against a backdrop of previous criticism concerning patient safety at the NCA. Public records have shown dozens of patients suffered harm or died due to treatment delays and serious errors made by staff working under extreme pressure. Board papers revealed 28 deaths linked to lengthy delays, 56 cases of 'severe harm,' and 10 deaths connected to diagnostic problems last year.