Forced rotation of nurses between Bassetlaw and Doncaster attempt to run down Bassetlaw’s ICU services
Strikes by intensive care nurses at Bassetlaw hospital over fire and rehire contract changes will escalate across December, Unite, the UK’s leading union, said today.
The nurses are striking over fire and rehire contract changes that will force them to rotate between Bassetlaw and Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
The trust is threatening to dismiss the nurses from their current contracts and rehire them on new ones on 12 December.
The nurses fear the transfers are one more step towards Bassetlaw hospital losing its ICU permanently through ‘decommissioning by stealth’. They would also face overly long commutes before and after 13-hour shifts, with the risk of exhaustion putting themselves and patients at risk.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “The trust’s abhorrent fire and rehire threats have only made the nurses more determined to fight against this blatant attempt to run down Bassetlaw’s ICU. They have Unite’s 100 per cent support in standing up for themselves and patients.”
Unite is considering legal challenges to Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust should it proceed with its plans.
The trust claims the rotation plans are to increase the nurses’ exposure to level three patients (those who are ventilated or have multiple organ failure). The Trust’s proposal, however, would not guarantee increased exposure to level 3 patients. Unite believes the real reason behind the plans is to run down Bassetlaw’s ICU services.
The nurses began action short of strike action through a ban on working on any ward or unit other than Bassetlaw ICU on 13 November and took two days of strike action in late November.
They will strike again from 15 December to 19 December. Industrial action will intensify is the dispute is not resolved.
Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson said: “Unite offered the trust a cost-neutral plan that would give nurses more level 3 experience. Its rejection of the plan shows the real aim: the decommissioning by stealth of Bassetlaw’s ICU.
“Our members don’t want to strike, but they can’t accept proposals that undermine patient care and force unreasonable commute times on top of 13-hour shifts.”
