Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to strike on 15 to 20 December and the government has confirmed that the armed forces could step in to drive ambulances and work in frontline hospital roles.
Contingency plans are currently being drawn up by health and defence officials as ambulance drivers could join nurses on the picket lines in December.
The Times reported that the government could authorise the military aid to the civil authorities protocol (Maca) to keep services running as was seen during the pandemic.
A Government spokeswoman said, “We are working with the NHS on a range of options to manage disruption to health and care services during industrial action.
“Hospitals will do everything they can to ensure patients and the public are kept safe, however planned appointments may need to be cancelled and emergency care prioritised to those in need of urgent care only.”
The Health Secretary Steve Barclay wrote to the RCN’s general secretary Pat Cullen urging all to “come back to the table” for talks to avert the strike next month.
Cullen quickly responded by letter saying she will only return for pay talks after members voted kn favour of industrial action.
Cullen wrote, “I’m afraid the position of my members is ‘negotiations or nothing.’
“You cannot shut them out and then repeat that your door is open. If the negotiation table is empty, we can see you are not serious about progress.
“This dispute needs resolving and strike action is now little over a fortnight away.
“On behalf of every nurse, let’s negotiate.”
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