Nurses strike in Eastbourne: ‘People are haemorrhaging from the profession’

Nurses in Eastbourne were on strike yesterday (January 18) and are back on the picket line today (January 19) outside the DGH.

The Royal College of Nursing held strikes in December but this is the first time trusts in Sussex have joined in with industrial action. Full list of Sussex trusts striking: Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.

NHS Sussex said regardless of any strike action taking place, patients who need urgent medical care will be prioritised, especially in emergency and life-threatening cases.

Emergency care will be open, with walk-in emergency and urgent services open to patients including Emergency Departments, A&E, Urgent Treatment Centres and Minor Injuries Units.

The Herald spoke to those on the picket line earlier today (January 19).

Donato Tallo, senior regional office for the South East Royal College of Nursing, said: “The reality is no one wants to do this, it’s freezing and people don’t want to be here, but they are because they’ve had enough. Enough is enough.

“Solidarity is really important, people are haemorrhaging from the profession and we don’t want to see that. Anyone that leaves the profession is a tragedy.”

Mr Tallo said long working hours, pay failing to keep up with inflation, and the ‘pressure becoming insurmountable’ means that the good will of nurses is being stretched too far.

He said: “This is vitally important for the future of our profession and for patient safety. If we don’t have enough nurses in the future, what society will we be in?”

Nurse Charlotte Bright said it was a ‘very difficult decision’ to join the strike because she’s a single mother to three children so ‘that’s a lot of money to miss out on’. She said: “I don’t think pay is the big issue, I think it’s getting new nurses into the profession. The profession is struggling and exhausted.

“We need more staff to give the care we want to give to know at the end of the day we’ve done the best we can - if we had that, the money wouldn’t be such an issue. It’s because we have an exhausted workforce struggling with no end in sight, there’s the rising cost of living and wages haven’t changed - it’s a combination of all those things.”

Ida Teixeira has been a nurse for 24 years and said she’s never seen morale so low. She said: “There’s no incentive to be a nurse anymore. Pay is so low, the cost of living has gone up ridiculously – people are really struggling. Nurses are overstretched and underpaid.

“We need to encourage more people to come into nursing and the only way to do that is to improve conditions - one of them being fair pay. It’s not a lot to ask for, not for what we do.”

Specialist nurse Mike Anniss said: “We need to retain staff and pay is definitely an incentive.”

Those on the picket line said the response from the public has been positive. Mr Tallo said: “Members of the public are right behind us on this.”

Paediatric nurse Isa Funnell said: “It has been amazing. Yesterday (January 18) was quite overwhelming and emotional actually. We had the public stop at the roundabout and giving us endless coffees, endless hot drinks, cakes and doughnuts. It was amazing, the support from the public was massive yesterday. So I am hoping for the same today.

“Please just keep supporting us. We are doing this for the people of Eastbourne. We are doing this for the public.”

Mr Anniss said: “The public opinion is really heart-warming to hear, all the support is great. Don’t give up, stand together, stay strong.”

Check out photos from the strikes in Eastbourne here

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