Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen will be among the union leaders meeting Steve Barclay for talks on Monday.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen (centre) joins members of the RCN on the picket line (PA) / PA Wire
Rishi Sunak raised a glimmer of hope that future nursing strikes could be averted by saying he was willing to discuss pay, but indicated he would not negotiate over the current deal.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen said she had a “chink of optimism” after noticing a “little shift” in the Prime Minister’s stance on Sunday.
Mr Sunak declined to describe the NHS as being in crisis, despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warning the health service is not just on its knees but “on its face”.
The Prime Minister also refused to say whether he uses private healthcare as Britons struggle with long waiting lists to see GPs and receive treatment.
Ms Cullen will be among the union leaders meeting Steve Barclay for talks on Monday, but the Health Secretary wants to focus negotiations on a new pay deal for 2023/24.
The RCN head has urged ministers to meet nurses halfway on their pay rise demands for the current financial year and will strike in England on January 18 and 19 without a breakthrough.
The Prime Minister told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme that Monday’s talks are “really important”, but he indicated only the next financial year’s pay is up for discussion.
“When it comes to pay we’ve always said we want to talk about things that are reasonable, that are affordable and responsible for the country,” Mr Sunak said.
“We are about to start a new pay settlement round for this year, we’re about to start that independent process, and before that process starts the Government is keen to sit down with the unions and talk about pay and make sure they understand where we’re coming from.”
Ms Cullen told Mr Sunak to “grasp the nettle, come to the table” as she indicated cautious hopes for resolving the long-running dispute.
She told the BBC: “When I listened to that there was a chink of optimism and there was a little shift in what the Prime Minister was saying.”
However, she added: “This is not about negotiations tomorrow, it’s not about nurses’ pay and it’s not addressing the issues that are our dispute and that is addressing pay in 2022/23.”
A Department of Health and Social Care source insisted the position on not negotiating on the current financial year’s pay settlement remains “unchanged”.
Mr Barclay said in the Sunday Telegraph he will take a “constructive approach” to negotiations on April’s pay review, suggesting increases are on the table if unions agree to efficiency savings to make higher salaries more “affordable”.
Sir Keir has urged ministers to negotiate with striking health workers and to alleviate the sprawling NHS waiting lists, describing the institution as being in “the worst crisis we’ve ever had” after “13 years of neglect”.
The Labour leader told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday: “We’ve got to acknowledge that the health service is not just on its knees, it’s on its face.”
But Mr Sunak repeatedly declined to describe the NHS as being in crisis, instead saying it is “under pressure” and experiencing “unacceptable delays”, after he held emergency talks with health leaders over the weekend.
He was also told to “come clean” by Ms Cullen after refusing to say whether he uses private healthcare.
Under sustained questioning, Mr Sunak told the BBC: “As a general policy I wouldn’t ever talk about me or my family’s healthcare situation.
“But it’s not really relevant, what’s relevant is the difference I can make to the country.”
Mr Barclay has pledged to take further steps to “improve the flow through our hospitals” on Monday, with around 13,000 NHS beds blocked by delays in discharging payments.
The Sunday Times reported that an emergency winter pressure package will include a hospital discharge fund for thousands of NHS patients to be moved to care home beds.
Thousands of beds could be block-bought by the Government under the strategy, which is hoped to have an effect within a month.
Sunak backs ‘radical’ action to resolve healthcare crisis
Hospital and ambulance staff have launched rare strike action – in the case of the nurses, for the first time in 100 years – with many members of the public sympathetic to their cause.
By: Kimberly Rodrigues
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Saturday called for “bold and radical” action to reform the crisis-hit state healthcare system as he held emergency talks with health leaders.
After years of underfinancing, BY THE TORIES the NHS state-funded health service is struggling to meet the demand for emergency medical care during a particularly difficult winter with high rates of coronavirus and flu.
Hospital and ambulance staff have launched rare strike action — in the case of the nurses, for the first time in 100 years — with many members of the public sympathetic to their cause.
Nurses are calling for a salary hike to reflect inflation soaring above 10 percent.
After being accused of inaction, Sunak was hosting England’s chief medical officer Chris Witty, and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard at Downing Street on Saturday.
The meeting came ahead of talks planned between government officials and union leaders on Monday, aimed at ending the strikes.
“During the pandemic we had to bring boldness and radicalism to how we did things in order to get through,” the prime minister was quoted as saying by Downing Street.
“I think we need that same bold and radical approach now.”
He added: “Together today, we can figure out the things that will make the biggest difference to the country and everyone’s family, in the short and medium term.”
In a speech this week Sunak set out five priorities for 2023 including shortening NHS waiting lists.
The general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing union, Pat Cullen, told BBC radio that she would attend the Monday talks with the health minister Steve Barclay.
At the same time she said that Sunak should negotiate with nurses directly to prevent planned further strike action on January 18 and 19.
“He needs to come to the negotiation table with me and he needs to put money on that table, and it needs to be about the current year,” she told the BBC.
– AFP
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