Steve Barclay said he was saddened by the proposed industrial action by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which he said was not in anyone’s best interests. He is resisting pay negotiations after the union demanded a rise of at least 15% compared to the £1,400 rise given earlier this year. Barclay said the pay award “is a balanced increase” which is “fair to nurses and taxpayers”. He wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Yet the RCN is demanding a whopping 17.6% pay rise. an increase that is simply neither reasonable nor affordable. It is around three times the average settlement typically received by millions of hard-working people, including many Sunday Telegraph readers, who work outside the public sector. “Huge settlements like these will fuel inflation when we are trying to keep it under control. It will have a negative impact on people’s incomes in the long run.” Barclay wrote his door “will always be open” to unions, after a “constructive” meeting with RCN general secretary Pat Cullen in Whitehall on Thursday. The talks are said to have focused on a “wide range of issues”, including patient safety and working conditions. He continued: “If the RCN goes ahead with industrial action, I will ensure that emergency services continue to work for those who need them most and patients should continue to come for emergency services as normal. But it is inevitable that any strike would mean that some patients will have their treatment delayed and I would urge unions to consider the impact on those who rely on the NHS for their care. “We are facing a difficult winter for our entire country and industrial action is in nobody’s best interest.” The RCN announced on Wednesday that its members at the majority of NHS employers across the UK have backed industrial action. The health service will turn its attention to treating emergency patients in a “life-sustaining model of care”, with sources saying some hospitals on strike days will have Christmas-like staffing levels. Some of the more serious cases of cancer could still be treated, and emergency diagnostic procedures and assessments would be staffed if needed to gather data on potentially life-threatening conditions or those that could lead to permanent disability. Industrial action is expected before the end of the year at some of the UK’s biggest hospitals, including Guy’s and St Thomas’ opposite parliament, the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, the University Hospital of Wales and Belfast’s Royal Victoria. Other health workers’ unions, including Unison and GMB, will announce the results of strike ballots before the end of the month among staff including ambulance drivers and paramedics, hospital porters and cleaners.
