Industrial action by theatre staff has directly caused 12 incidents of treatment delays at four Greater Manchester hospitals, according to new figures from the Northern Care Alliance (NCA). The trust, which runs Salford Royal, Royal Oldham, Rochdale Infirmary and Fairfield Hospital in Bury, has warned that further walkouts could take place this month amid a dispute over overtime pay.
The NCA reported that 12 of the 28 incidents involving treatment delays between July 1 and September 30 were directly attributed to strikes by theatre staff, including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers. More than 350 staff have staged a number of strikes in recent months over the use of outside agency NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage additional shifts.
Dispute over overtime pay
Trade union Unison claims the arrangements with NHSP mean some staff could earn less for an additional shift than they previously did, with some workers missing out on as much as £80 a shift. On Tuesday, Unison announced that 99 per cent of more than 400 theatre staff had rejected the trust's latest offer to resolve the dispute.
Interim chief executive Kevin McGee told a board meeting at Salford Royal on Wednesday that there was "no doubt" strikes had affected patients, adding that attention now needs to be turned to "maintaining safety" within the units. He said: "There is no doubt there has been an impact on patients. Our job now is to try and minimise that."
Impact on patient care
Figures released by the NCA in September stated that between 120 and 130 treatments are cancelled for each day of industrial action, including cancer treatment. Care is cancelled because staff walkouts reduce theatre capacity to Christmas Day levels, meaning only trauma care and emergency, or life and limb operations can be delivered.
During a period of industrial action in August, trust bosses were forced to declare a critical incident, with "several hundred" patients' operations cancelled due to strikes. The NCA's latest patient safety report recorded 864 incidents through its electronic Datix reporting system in the second quarter of this year, with treatment delays the fourth most frequently reported incident category.
The report added that "no patient safety incidents or adverse outcomes were identified as a consequence of the delays experienced."
Union response and next steps
Unison north west regional organiser Kevin Dolan said: "Staff are sending a resounding message to NCA bosses. They're standing together and won't be deterred in their fight for what's right. It's disappointing the trust has resorted to scare tactics, by telling staff this was the final offer. But that's not the trust's decision to make."
The union is writing to the NCA to make clear workers will carry on striking until they get fair pay. Mr McGee said: "Patients have already had operations postponed and care delayed. Further industrial action will mean more delays and uncertainty for patients. We cannot allow these delays to continue. We must consider other ways to provide care during industrial action, including arranging for some work currently done by the NCA to be carried out elsewhere."
Leah Robins, interim chief operating officer, thanked staff who "have come in during periods of industrial action," adding their presence was "critical to keeping patients safe." She warned there was potential for further industrial action in November, which could put pressure on the trust's performance figures.
