London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

Nurses' strikes over May bank holiday will present serious challenges, says NHS Providers

Nurses' strikes over May bank holiday will present serious challenges, says NHS Providers

A 48-hour strike by nurses, which will include emergency care, will "present serious risks and challenges", an NHS boss has said.

The Royal College of Nursing has rejected the pay offer for England while Unison workers accepted it.

Sir Julian Hartley, from NHS Providers, which represents NHS workers, said the May bank holiday strike would mark an "unprecedented level of action".

The government said it was "based on a vote from the minority" of nurses.

The award on the table was a 5% pay rise for 2023-24. And there was an extra one-off lump sum of at least £1,655 to top up the past year's salary. But on Friday, the RCN announced its members had rejected the offer by 54% to 46%.

The walkout from 20:00 BST on 30 April to 20:00 on 2 May will involve NHS nurses in emergency departments, intensive care, cancer and other wards.

Nurses have already walked out twice this year on 6 and 7 February and on 18 and 19 January - but on those dates there were exemptions so that nursing cover was maintained in critical areas.

The announcement comes just as the NHS is getting back to normal after a four-day walkout by junior doctors - who are demanding a 35% pay rise - which ended at 07:00 on Saturday.

Sir Julian, chief executive of NHS Providers, said during the strike by junior doctors gaps had been filled by consultants and other staff, but he warned if nurses went ahead with their action this might be more difficult to deal with.

"But with nursing staff, obviously that represent a significant proportion of the workforce, taking action in those areas as well that will present an unprecedented level of action, that we haven't yet seen from nursing stuff and therefore the challenges with that, the organisation and all the work that go into managing and mitigating that will be enormous," he said.

When asked about the prospect of nurses and junior doctors striking on the same day, he added: "They are central, pivotal to the delivery of care across all sectors, hospitals, community services, mental health services.

"So obviously the prospect of both groups being out at the same time would present enormous challenges to the service and that would be really really the most difficult challenge ever faced yet if we had to deal with that scenario."

The RCN's director for England, Patricia Marquis, when asked by BBC Newsnight about coordinated strike action, said it was having conversations with the British Medical Association but not specifically around coordinating strikes.

"That's obviously something that would have to be considered, least because we're all in the same space. We all work in the same places", she said.

"And therefore there may be an issue where our strikes do at some point either coordinate or overlap in someway."

Nick Hulme, chief executive of Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals said recent strike action had been a "massive distraction from the work we should be doing" including reducing waiting times - and urged all parties to find a quick solution.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Hulme said he would be concerned if the currently separate strike action by nurses and junior doctors was co-ordinated at any stage.

"It just fills me with a lot of anxiety and it's almost something I can't comprehend," he said.

"Being able to run services safely without those two clinal groups of staff I think would be very, very difficult indeed and would increase the risks to patients."

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt urged members of the GMB and Unite unions - which represent smaller numbers of NHS staff - to join Unison in accepting the government's offer because it would be "best for patients and best for staff".

The British Medical Association, which represents junior doctors, said it was "not ruling in or out" of co-ordinated action with other unions - such as nurses' unions.

Dr Vivek Trivedi, the co-chairman of the BMA junior doctors committee, said that if the government refused to negotiate "we are prepared to strike again", adding: "We will consider all options available to us."


Clint Cooper who is a nurse at Scarborough Hospital said he believed in the principles of what his colleagues were doing, but he decided to vote against strike action in the RCN ballot.

"Last week I had two patients who were very poorly and I wonder if I hadn't been there and escalated it, would they still be alive if I had walked out and that's my conscience talking to me," he said.

Meanwhile, fellow RCN member Diane Cawood voted to reject the government's latest pay offer, describing the staffing situation as "dire" and inpatient care as "dangerous" at the moment.

The mental health nurse, whose NHS trust did not meet the threshold to strike, said she enjoyed her work but "the day may come when I can't afford to stay in this job".

Nurse Clint Cooper said it was not just about pay but"about the future of the NHS"


A Unison member who has worked as a nurse for 30 years and voted to accept the government's pay offer said the pressure on staff was "unsustainable" but pay was not the fundamental issue.

The specialist nurse, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that instead retention and recruitment "presents the greatest challenge to the profession".

Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said that until there was a significantly improved offer, RCN nurses would be forced to go back to the picket line.

She said the government "needs to increase what has already been offered and we will be highly critical of any move to reduce it".

The Unison union, which represents some nurses and ambulance crews, voted overwhelmingly in favour of the government's pay offer.

Sara Gorton from Unison said health workers would have wanted more "but this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation".

Members have "opted for the certainty of getting the extra cash in their pockets soon", she added.

Hundreds of thousands of NHS staff from other unions are still voting on the same pay deal over the next two weeks.

In Scotland, union members have accepted an offer worth an average 6.5% for 2023-24. Health unions in Wales and Northern Ireland are still in negotiations with their governments over pay

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
×