NHS staff industrial action - our response

Response - 25 November 2022

We’ve called on NHS England to support people during any industrial action by staff.

Some healthcare staff unions are planning to take industrial action this winter. We are calling on the NHS nationally and locally to support patients by making sure people get clear and accessible communications about the possible impact on their treatment and care as soon as possible.

With Government and unions currently in negotiations over NHS staff pay and conditions, and several unions planning to take industrial action, patients should know how strikes will impact their planned care, and any emergency care they might need on strike days.

To help provide this clarity and ensure that patient safety is maintained this winter, we are calling on the NHS to focus on:

Preventing public confusion: Clear and accessible communications to the public at a local level will be critical. Patients need to know when strike action will take place and the services that will and will not be affected. Communications should be available in accessible formats to make sure the most vulnerable people are not excluded.
Make clear lifesaving help is available: Patients need to understand that life-preserving care will be protected, and what kind of care falls into this category. We know that nursing representatives will be discussing with NHS workplaces where strike exemptions will apply, guided by principles agreed between NHS England and the Royal College of Nursing about life-preserving care. As soon as local NHS trusts (or Integrated Care Boards who employ nurses directly) agree those exemptions, they should clearly communicate these to affected patients and the general public.
Supporting people if care is delayed: If planned appointments or operations are postponed, the NHS must ensure it gives patients and carers as much notice of the changes as possible, contacts all patients to rebook care or lets them know when they can expect a new date for care, and tells people about support available while they wait.
Clear contingency plans: With strike action likely to affect local areas in different ways, it's essential that local contingency plans are in place and the NHS shares these plans with local partners so they can help support the public.

Commenting, our National Director, Louise Ansari, said:

"We recognise that NHS staff have been delivering care under unprecedented circumstances for the last few years, with capacity shrinking while patients' needs are increasing; and that workforce and winter pressures are adding to a difficult working environment.

"But the impact of potential strikes are likely to be a worry for patients and the wider public; people will want to know whether or not they will get their long-awaited operations, or even if they will get to hospital for emergency care if they need it on strike days.

"In the weeks ahead, NHS services need to issue clear and accessible communications to patients and service users about any changes to their care as soon as they can, and work with local partners to develop contingency plans.

“We have called on NHS England to ensure that if people’s appointments are cancelled, services take responsibility for contacting those affected to offer a new date as soon as possible. If people need to wait longer, they should be offered support including pain relief and mental health support if needed.”

In the coming weeks, we will be supporting patients and the public by:

Continuing to monitor public views on industrial action shared with us via the Healthwatch network, and sharing and significant changes with NHS England and decision-makers
Supporting local Healthwatch to distribute the latest updates and information on upcoming industrial action and its impact to patients
Advocating for clear and comprehensive communication to be shared with patients at the earliest possible opportunity by NHS England and local service providers, and supporting NHS bodies to develop these communications where possible