Industrial Action Public message 7 December 2022
BWC is one of a number of NHS organisations across the country that is being affected by industrial action being taken by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) on 15 and 20 December.
This means that nurses who work for our Trust, can choose not to be at work on those dates, and that we need to take a different approach to keeping our patients and their families safe on those dates, to enable our nurse colleagues their right to strike.
We are currently working with our RCN colleagues to manage the impact on our services to make sure they are safe for our women, children and young people.
Urgent, emergency and cancer services will still continue during the industrial action. We will remain here for you.
However, this means non-urgent appointments, procedures and surgery are likely to be rearranged.
If your appointment or planned care is affected, we will contact you.
If you do not hear from us, please attend your appointment as planned.
During the industrial action the RCN will have a picket line, a formal protest, at our Children’s Hospital but they will not stop anyone accessing our sites for their appointments or work.
We are so sorry if your care is impacted by this industrial action and understand this will cause inconvenience. We are committed to rearrange your appointment and care as soon as is possible.
There could be further industrial action by the RCN and other trade unions over the next few months, we will provide updates on this as soon as possible. Please keep an eye on our website and social media channels for further details.
Although pay levels are a matter between national trade unions and the Government, we hope that a way forward can be found soon for our colleagues and patients. BWC values and recognises the importance of good pay and is grateful every day for the hard work of all our colleagues.
If you have any concerns, please contact your clinical team in the first instance.