YouGov polling shows 65% of the public support nursing staff taking strike action. Just one in two Britons are now confident in the quality of care available to them on the NHS, and the majority (79%) of respondents say they believe there aren’t enough nursing staff in the NHS to deliver safe patient care.With the ballot closing next week on Wednesday 2 November at 12 noon, members have just a few days left to return their ballot papers. It could be close so it’s important that every vote is cast. This is a unique opportunity to fight for fair pay for nursing, protecting the future of the profession and patient care in the NHS.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said: “The public stands with nursing staff as they know that when nurses speak, they speak for patients. It is for them that our members are voting to strike.
“Nurses have already suffered a decade of real terms pay cuts, and many simply cannot afford to practise anymore. They are being forced to leave the profession and a chronic shortage of nursing staff is putting patients at risk.
“Nursing staff are saying enough is enough, for our profession and for our patients. I urge any member who has not returned their ballot paper to do so now – every single vote counts. Don’t miss this historic opportunity to have your voice heard."
Earlier this week, new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the fiscal statement planned for Monday (31 October) has been delayed until mid-November and are expected to announce government spending cuts.
In the same poll, the public made it clear they do not support cuts to NHS spending. More than half (56%) said the NHS was among the top three areas of spending that must be protected, which is double the support given to any other spending area. Over half (52%) also suggested that current underfunding of the NHS is the primary cause of increased waiting lists for operations and other specialist NHS care.
Today, one in eight nursing roles in the NHS in England alone is vacant, and an open letter to the Prime Minister demanding fair pay for nursing to protect patient safety has gathered over 50,000 signatures to date.
The YouGov survey, commissioned by the RCN, took place on 21 and 22 October and asked more than 1,600 adults in Great Britain for their views on care in the NHS.
