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Healthcare assistants at Nottingham’s hospitals feel ‘disrespected’ as they strike over pay and conditions

Healthcare staff at Nottingham hospitals say they have been ‘totally disrespected’ as they strike in a dispute over pay and working conditions.

Backed by UNISON, the workers – including healthcare assistants and support staff –  are calling for what they say are acceptable wages under the campaign ‘Pay Fair for Patient Care’.

According to NHS guidance, healthcare support workers on Band 2 of the Agenda for Change pay scale should only provide personal care, such as bathing and feeding patients.

However, despite this, UNISON says most of the healthcare assistants at Nottingham University Hospitals routinely undertake clinical tasks, such as taking blood, performing electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas.

The trust – has agreed to regrade staff and backpay staff up to August 2021, in a deal that’s been accepted by four out of five unions.

It expects this backpay, which is ‘in line with a national update on job profiles for health care support workers’, to cost about £10 million.

But UNISON says the Trust is refusing to provide back pay for the extra responsibilities workers have been given beyond this date, with some of this dating back as far as 2018.

NUH said it believed its offer was “fair and reasonable”, however, 94 per cent of UNISON members voted last month to strike.

The industrial action affects staff at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, though in a statement, NUH said services shouldn’t be affected.

Megan Wilson, who attended the strike, is a healthcare assistant at Nottingham University Hospital and an assistant branch secretary for UNISON.

Speaking on the picket line, Megan told Notts TV: “We all have to work 60 hour weeks just to get by, we can’t take breaks.

“It’s all about patient care, of course, but we are not treated well and we have to do things outside our responsibility.”

She added: “Its awful that we have to strike to be heard, it is not something we want to do.

“We know it affects the quality of our care, but we are not valued.

“Striking makes a difference, they [the NHS] cannot ignore us now.”

Tracey Green was also at the protest and is a healthcare assistant at Queen’s Medical Centre.

Speaking out about the NHS and ongoing strike, Tracy said: “We are here and not getting money, we have been totally disrespected.

“All we do is give 110 percent, the NHS is skint and if they can pay [office workers] more money every year, why can’t they pay us?”

Ashley Kirkham is a healthcare assistant for neurosurgery. He said: “In no way is striking a moral dilemma, I am standing up for myself here.

“This all has an effect on everybody, they cannot just prioritise people at the top.”

Christina McAnea is the general secretary of UNISON and also attended the strike.

She addressed criticism that striking affects patient care and told Notts TV: “Nobody at the NHS wants to strike, but sometimes there is no option.

Christina added: “We are pleased it’s a Labour Government, they are committed to the NHS and its future.

“I recognise the difficult position we are in financially, but there needs to be decent funding.”

Christina warned that failure to address pay and staffing issues could lead to long-term damage within the NHS, including increased staff turnover and a decline in care quality.

She said: “The problem is that there’s too many staff vacancies, you can get more money working in a supermarket.

“You will not attract good people and you certainly won’t retain them.”

Commenting on the strike, NUH said it had “robust plans” to reduce the impact on services and said patient safety is its priority.

Tracy Pilcher, chief nurse at NUH, added: “Our healthcare support workers are a vital and valuable group of colleagues. Our hospitals could not run without their skill and dedication to our patients.

“We have agreed to increase the annual salary of our healthcare support workers and provide them with backpay to August 2021.

“We believe that this is a fair and reasonable offer and this has been accepted by four of the five unions who represent the workforce. I am sorry that we could not reach a resolution with UNISON.”

The healthcare workers will continue to strike until early on Saturday morning (April 12).

A series of 24-hour strikes are also planned on April 17, 22 and 28, and patients at both hospitals have been told to attend planned appointments unless told otherwise.