Industrial action and NHS services
We are writing to share an update on the strike action which will take place across a number of NHS organisations in Devon on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December 2022.
Background
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members at the majority of NHS organisations across the United Kingdom have voted in favour of industrial action, including:
- Devon Partnership NHS Trust (DPT)
- Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Devon)
- Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (T&SDFT)
- University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP)
This will be in the form of strike action on Thursday 15 and Tuesday 20 December 2022.
Trade unions representing NHS staff are in dispute with the Government over the 2022/23 pay award. While pay is a matter for the Government and the trade unions, we value all of our NHS colleagues across Devon and want to see a resolution as soon as possible.
Prioritising urgent and emergency care
We are committed to keeping disruption to our services to a minimum on these dates and we have plans in place to ensure the safety and welfare of our patients and our staff.
Across Devon, on days where there is strike action, services will be prioritised to ensure patients most in need are supported to help maintain patient safety.
For the Royal Devon, T&SDFT and UHP, this means prioritising emergency care for patients who need urgent treatment. Patients with life-threatening conditions or serious injuries will continue to be seen at our Emergency Departments, and other critical care services will be running on these days but some will have reduced staffing levels.
For DPT, this will include the continued provision of all inpatient, urgent and crisis mental health and learning disability services. All community services will be operational and contact lines will be open to ensure the continuity of care for vulnerable children, adults and older adults.
Keeping the public informed
We are continuing to provide proactive advice to the public regarding the strikes. More information can be found on our websites:
- https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/
- https://royaldevon.nhs.uk
- https://www.torbayandsouthdevon.nhs.uk/
- https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/
This includes notifying patients who have a planned appointment on either Thursday 15 or Tuesday 20 December 2022 to attend as usual, unless they hear from us.
The public are also being urged to use NHS 111 if they have an urgent care need, but are not sure which service to use.
Further public information about the Industrial Action, including FAQs, has been published by NHS England and can be found here.
We hope this update is helpful.
Best wishes