Enough is enough - vote to take action on pay

I hope RCN members will realise enough is enough and they’ll vote for industrial strike action. Patients won’t be put at risk. The RCN strike action in Northern Ireland showed how patients are kept safe. It is the current staff shortages which are putting our patients at risk.

The safe care of patients has always been my number one priority. But how can nursing staff provide this care 24/7 when nursing staff are leaving the profession in droves? Pay is inadequate. Nursing staff should be paid enough to afford a mortgage themselves without depending on a partner to provide financial back-up.

I challenge the Secretary of State for Health to work in a local hospital for one month, earning the same money as a nurse and see if he is able to support his family.

Improving pay will mean it is easier to recruit staff from the local community. Caring for patients and making sure their basic needs are met can provide some of the most rewarding experiences as a nurse, as well as the more advanced care nurses now provide. During my career, I always applied the ‘Six Cs of nursing’ - care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. I believe in primary nursing, where a nurse follows a patient along their pathway.

With the current level of vacancies and shortages in the workforce, providing this kind of care is more and more difficult. RCN members are motivated and highly skilled but there are increasing levels of sickness due to heightened stress. There is so much pressure on nursing support workers too - they no longer have time to learn and develop their roles.

We need to change this. As a long-time member of the Eastern region, I was so proud to see younger members stepping forward to speak at RCN Congress this year. Now is the time for every member of the RCN to also step up, check the RCN hold their correct home postal address, employer, workplace and job category and vote in the industrial strike action ballot. This is our opportunity to speak with one voice and bring about a change for nursing staff and our patients.