Thank you for contacting me about nurses and striking. I am a great supporter of the NHS and I am pleased that the government is funding the NHS at a record level. This funding should be prioritised though for patients.
I note your concerns about the Government’s proposals around minimum service levels for hospitals during industrial action. However, the last 12 months have seen significant disruption to patient care from industrial action, with more than 1 million appointments being rescheduled since December 2022.
The Government’s proposals require hospitals to provide the same level of care for patients requiring urgent or emergency treatment during a period of industrial action as on a non-strike day. For further context, this would mean that patients requiring urgent cancer treatment, requiring dialysis, or patients requiring a transplant where a potential donor match is identified can receive the treatment they need without being delayed by industrial action.