Nurses in Birmingham walk out over pay but business as usual at Black Country hospitals
Nurses have walked out at hospitals in Birmingham today, but it is business as usual at hospitals in the Black Country.
Royal College of Nursing members are staging a 28-hour strike over pay.
The strike, which will end just before midnight, comes after a High Court judge ruled it would be unlawful for the industrial action to continue into Tuesday as originally planned.
The strike action is affecting University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust in the region.
But it does not affect Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital, Sandwell General Hospital, Dudley’s Russells Hall Hospital and Walsall Manor Hospital.
The walk out began at 8pm on Sunday.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen said on Sunday that measures were in place to keep patients safe after concerns were raised about the impact of the strike action on emergency services.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said the 28-hour nursing strike is “premature” and “disrespectful” to other unions.
The comments come ahead of a meeting of the NHS Staff Council, made up of health unions, employers and Government representatives, which will discuss the Government’s pay offer.
It comes as ambulance workers in the West Midlands will walk out on strike tomorrow after a pay offer by the government was rejected.
Members of union Unite are expected to join a picket line outside the Dudley ambulance hub on Tuesday morning.
WMAS said it will still respond to the most urgent calls.
Unite members at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust will also be involved in industrial action tomorrow.
People are being asked to use 999 in emergencies only and use the symptom checker at NHS 111 online at 111.nhs.uk if they are unsure of which service to use.
