If not now, when? If not us, who?

This week, our members in Wales once again went on strike. Two consecutive days of action took place with tighter derogations in place than before. The strikes are as a result of the Minister for Health and Social Services’ failure to re-open NHS negotiations. 

From Cardiff to Aberystwyth, Brecon to Bangor, our members stood firm for patient safety and the future of our profession. It was my absolute pleasure to visit you on picket lines in Wales, to hear your reasons for refusing to give up the fight for your patients and for nursing.

You shared your insights into unsafe staffing and how you’re being affected by the cost of living and it’s clear -yet again - that far from our demands being ‘greedy’ as some would dare to suggest, they are an entirely reasonable response to decades of pay cuts and underfunding.

Our industrial action ballot in England is currently open, and your votes must be received by midnight on 23 June to be counted. Every single vote matters. By not voting at all, you tell the government that you are no longer concerned about your pay, the NHS and staffing levels. Please return your ballot paper now and if yours hasn’t arrived, order a new one today. The Westminster government, if it wished to, could solve this without the need for more strike action, but for now, this remains unfinished business.

It was my pleasure today to spend time with RCN members at London’s Royal Free Hospital and at Darent Valley Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Kent. What can I say other than your commitment to our profession and to your patients is incredible? We talked at length about the importance of the current ballot, and I valued hearing what a further six months of strike action would mean for you. I’m looking forward to meeting more of you in the weeks to come. To you all, thank you for your candour, your passion and for your hugely valuable insights.

I know our journey through strike action can feel challenging and I want you to know, I walk every single step along that road with you. I recognise some of you are concerned about not receiving the one-off payment which forms part of the implemented pay offer from the government because you are not employed directly by the NHS, despite you understandably believing that you were.

The UK government has had every chance to make sure everyone received the payment - but it chose not to. Parity and equality are paramount to a stable NHS, and I have written directly to government on these points. We are all on the same side and together, our ability to hold to account decision makers for the greater good of our profession is a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Yesterday, the amendment to the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill which we are pushing for was again voted for by the House of Lords to give protection to those taking strike action against dismissal by government. This flagrant attempt to curtail the freedoms of workers to stand up for their rights is unacceptable, and we will continue with this fight.

In Scotland this week we issued a call to remind new Cabinet Secretary for NHS recovery, Health and Social Care, Michael Matheson, just how much is riding on the work of the Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce.

The latest workforce statistics published this week show that not only are registered nurse vacancies remaining stubbornly high at over 4,000, the amount spent on agency nurses to fill the gaps has reached a staggering £169.7m. This figure is up 91% from £88.8m the previous year, which itself was more than double the year before that – a worrying trend

In radio and television interviews we called out the Scottish government for preferring to line the pockets of the private sector rather than invest in building and developing the nursing workforce within the NHS. This is not sustainable, and we are clear that the taskforce must produce positive outcomes that lead to tangible improvements as a matter of urgency.

There is still no sign of the UK government’s long-awaited workforce plan for England and these lamentable delays further risk patient safety. As nursing numbers plummet and waiting lists soar, this all-too common dither and delay from ministers does nothing but erode confidence in this government’s ability to put in place the urgent measures needed to ensure patients receive the care they need.

This month marks the start of Pride season, and I am proud to show solidarity with our LGBTQ+ members. Our profession is stronger because of the insights, experiences, and perspectives brought by our diverse workforce. Our website has resources to help you celebrate and support LGBTQ+ colleagues and communities, so please check it out and demonstrate your pride in nursing this year.

Congress is still fresh in my mind, and I wanted to thank everyone who attend in-person or watched online for being part of such a positive week for our profession and for our college. In an unexpected but most welcome move, both the BBC and Sky live-streamed RCN Congress footage from the Brighton Centre.

I take from this unprecedented action one clear message: this shows how far we have come. Nursing has a permanent and well-deserved place at the very top of the public and political agenda, and people want to hear what we have to say.

You have fought for recognition and respect, and your hard work continues to have an impact reaching further and wider than we always knew was deserved.

Your energy filled the conference centre as you spoke with such passion and clarity about the issues that matter to you. The combination of fringe events, keynote speakers, lectures, exhibition and social events created a wonderful atmosphere which I for one was proud and delighted to be a part of. I’m excited for next year’s Congress in Newport, Wales, and can’t wait to see you there.