Sheffield nurses' strike: Nurses take to picket lines in first strike of its kind for city

The bitter dispute over pay and working conditions for healthcare staff has escalated into a two day walkout lasting up to 13 hours at a time both today (January 18) and Thursday, including across all three of Sheffield’s NHS Trusts.

Picket lines formed from 7am outside the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield Children’s Hospital and Northern General Hospital. Outside the Hallamshire, dozens of cars sounded their horns in support as nurses told The Star how they have been stuck with stagnant wages for years.

Specialist nurse Kerry Robinson said: “I feel sad and angry to be here, that it’s come to this without any cooperation from the Government. The Government is not interested in working with us. They hope we will get bored and go back to work. They don’t care about the NHS, patients or nurses. But they still manage to give themselves a big pay rise every year.

“This is a predominantly female profession, a profession where nurses are known for their resilience. And we’ve been pushed as far as we can go.

“When I look back on this job, 15 years ago I feel I was giving a really good service that I feel we just don’t have the capacity to anymore. And you take that home with you, so you don’t sleep.”

Nurses told of their frustration at how low wages, grinding 12-hour shifts and burnout were causing colleagues to quit or take time off ill, leading to even more stress for less hands. Several The Star spoke to attested to shifts with not even a fifth of who should be on duty, while colleagues who take off for private care or even other countries can easily double their wages.

It comes as 27,000 nurses reportedly quit the NHS last year. There are reportedly 133,000 staff vacancies in NHS England and 47,000 empty nursing posts.

Picket supervisor Victoria Hitchen even said how she was forced to use the newly implement ‘Wage Stream' – a system to borrow your own wages from further down the line – to pay her gas bill.

She said: “I’m not a person to take a stand. I’m quite complacent. But I’ve reached the point where I’ve thought ‘it’s time to do something. We shouldn’t need to do this.”

And nurse Kim Fletcher said: “As nurses we would rather be on our wards caring for patients than stood out in the cold. Ask any nurse in the country – no one wants to be in this position and taking this decision.

“We do it because we care. But at the end of the day we’re all just human beings. We give as much as we can – but that’s not a never ending thing.

“I feel confident that every nurse is going above and beyond in any way they can but that’s not sustainable. The Government needs to take accountability for patient safety. They are burying their heads in the sand.

“The worst outcome is they don’t respond to us and the nurses across the country will leave I’m proud of all of us. The Government need to open their eyes and ears.”