Health bosses urge strike deal as talks take place

Health bosses are urging a deal is found to end the NHS strikes ahead of the “winter onslaught”. 

NHS Providers interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said the “last thing” the NHS needed was prolonged industrial action as winter hits. Additionally, patients will lose out, with longer waits for treatment. 

Unions in England are meeting ministers on Tuesday after Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members voted to strike. 

Health secretary Steve Barclay is meeting with RCN leaders along with representatives of the other major NHS unions – Unison, GMB and Unite, which are all balloting over industrial action. 

The votes could see paramedics, health care assistants, porters and cleaners joining nurses in strike action. 

Emergency care will be protected during the RCN strike but the impact of industrial action will still be felt. 

The waiting list for planned treatment would likely grow – there are already more than 7 million people in England waiting for treatment; a record high.