Health strike reassurance for patients

Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date published: 10 October 2014


IT will be business as usual at the Royal Oldham Hospital on Monday despite strike action over pay.

Patients booked for appointments should turn up as expected, unless told otherwise.

Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which also runs North Manchester General Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital in Bury and Rochdale Infirmary, is working with staff to ensure disruption is minimised.

If appointments or routine outpatient clinics are to be postponed or changed, patients will be told. Accident & Emergency Departments will run as normal.

Several NHS trade unions have balloted nationally for industrial action including Unison, Unite, Ucatt, GMB and the Royal College of Midwives.

The proposed strike will take place between 7am and 11am. Some trade union members will then work to rule for the remainder of the week, taking all their breaks and starting and finishing on time.

Hugh Mullen, director of operations at The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “To our patients, we are planning to run services as normal and we are confident that planned operations and our out-patient clinics scheduled for Monday morning will go ahead.

“It is not necessary to check, we will contact you if your appointment is affected.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “NHS members don’t take action often or lightly.

“For many of our members, this will be the first time they have walked out as the last action over pay was 32 years ago. The NHS runs on the goodwill of its workers, but this Government has shown utter contempt for them.”