Nurses set to go on strike in Sussex - Here's everything you need to know including when walk-out is happening

No trusts in Sussex took part in a walk-out by nurses before Christmas but more members of The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will join the latest strikes after the UK Government ‘failed to act’.

The RCN listed four Sussex trusts among those due to join industrial action; East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust; University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust; Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

A spokesperson said: “For the first time in history, tens of thousands of our members took part in strikes in December 2022 to demand fair pay and improved patient safety.

"As governments have failed to act, our members will strike again on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19.

“This second phase of strike action will only affect members in England. Employers will be affected on both days.”

The RCN said ‘striking is a last resort’ but it ‘can be a powerful tool for change’, adding: “Unfairly low pay in our profession is driving chronic understaffing. It puts patients at risk and leaves nursing staff overworked, underpaid and undervalued.”

Ambulance workers are also set for another day of industrial action in Sussex this month. Photos from the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton days before Christmas showed the military in action, supporting the few ambulance crews – helping to deliver critical patients. There was also a rare sight of A&E ramps devoid of ambulance vehicles.

Staff were due to go on strike again on Wednesday, December 28 but this was delayed until January 11.

Adam Doyle, Chief Executive Officer for the Sussex Integrated Care Board (NHS Sussex), provided an update on upcoming strikes during a public meeting on Wednesday (January 4).

He said: “Over the next two weeks, there are further waves of industrial action. One again for the ambulance service and, this time, we can also expect to see our Royal College of Nursing colleagues to also take industrial action because sites across Sussex have also been called out for that.

“It’s a very pressurised time, we are managing it very closely together as a system. We will monitor all the patient safety impact this presents."

People are being urged to continue to use health services appropriately after a critical incident was stepped down, after seven days, across the NHS in Sussex.

The local NHS decided to declare a critical incident on Friday, December 30, ahead of the New Year weekend in response to the ‘extreme’ pressure being seen across services.

See also: Sussex NHS crisis: Everything you need to know about critical incident and second round of strikes involving nurses and ambulance workers

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