SCORES of nurses picketed York Hospital today as they staged their first ever strike.

Motorists tooted their horns in support as they drove past the picket lines, situated either side of the hospital entrance in Wigginton Road.

York Press:

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) walked out today and will do so again tomorrow at hospitals across England - including those run by York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The York trust has said it has 'robust plans' in place to manage the impact of industrial action and ensure it continues to deliver safe care for patients.

The picketing nurses chanted: "What do we want? Safe staffing. When do we want it? Now," and one of them, Naomi Wigley, a nurse practitioner in the opthalmology department, told The Press that the main reason for the strike wasn't pay.

York Press:

Naomi Wigley, speaking out on the picket line about why nurses are striking

"It's about working on the wards where you're understaffed and there's not a lot of people to cover your shift safely and you're worrying about the impact that that has on patient care," she said.

"Feelings are very, very strong. Lots of emotions here today - a lot of positivity but a lot of feelings of guilt that we have had to get to this point to get our message across."

Asked if she was concerned that the strike might compromise patient safety, she said the RCN had worked hard to ensure that key areas were covered.

"Patients who are at risk or in need of emergency care are protected," she claimed.

Asked if nurses were struggling with the cost of living, particularly in York with its high rents and housing costs, she said: "We are struggling, as is everybody. I have worked here for 20 years now and have seen a big fall in my pay."

Meanwhile, York Central Labour MP Rachael Maskell said she would be joining the picket line tomorrow morning to show her support.

“York’s NHS nurses did everything they possibly could for us through the pandemic and through the NHS pressures,” she said.

“Our city clapped our nurses for their sacrifice and care, and now they need our backing.”  

Her comments came as the chief executive and general secretary of the RCN claimed patients did not get safe staffing levels "any day of the week" in the NHS.

Pat Cullen said nurses felt "totally heartbroken" going on strike, but felt they had no choice.

She claimed the NHS was not currently delivering an acceptable minimum staffing level, which "flies in the face" of new anti-strike laws calling for minimum service cover on strike days.

"Minimum staffing levels are not available for our patients or our nurses on any day of the week," she said.

"So to try and suggest that we're going to have minimum staffing levels on days of industrial action is just so far removed from reality."

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said that, while he recognised the cost-of-living pressures on NHS staff, "unaffordable pay rises" would stoke inflation.

He claimed: "If we provide unaffordable pay rises to NHS staff, we will take billions of pounds away from where we need it most."