100,000 UK nurses strike

The strikes will continue until 20:00 Thursday evening local time and then again on December 20. The reason is wages and working conditions. Nurses are asking for a 19 percentage point increase in their pay and they recently rejected the latest salary proposal from the government.

– I am stunned that the government refuses to listen to our real and reasonable concerns, nurse Harry Eccles tells the BBC.

But not everyone is on strike and some care is being maintained. The strike will not include cancer treatment, dialysis, intensive care and neonatal intensive care – but large parts of less acute care are expected to be affected.

Nurses from England, Wales and Northern Ireland join the largest strike in the history of UK public health nurses. Their number is estimated at up to 100,000.

Responsible for 20 patients

Another nurse told The Guardian that full staffing was rare during her shift in cardiology at Bristol Royal Infirmary.

– As a nurse, I often take charge of 20 patients. It’s stressful. You end up running around like a shredded rat, she says.

The patients most affected by the strikes are those with booked appointments. A woman told the BBC that her husband’s cancer treatment had been delayed by a week because of the strike. She supports the striking healthcare workers but at the same time worries about her husband’s health.

– There are certain treatments, like my husband’s, that I don’t think should be put off any longer, she says.