ICU nurses to take further strike action over rotation

Nurses from the intensive care unit (ICU) at Bassetlaw Hospital are set to take further strike action over proposals for staff to rotate between hospitals.

Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has proposed for ICU nurses at the hospital, in Worksop, to work eight weeks each year at Doncaster Royal Infirmary to "maintain essential skills, competencies and experience".

The union Unite said nurses fear the rotation would contribute towards Bassetlaw Hospital losing its ICU permanently through "decommissioning by stealth".

It said the planned industrial action would take place from 15 to 19 December, adding action would "intensify if the dispute is not resolved".

The trust said temporary arrangements would be put in place during the strike period to ensure patient care remained safe, and urged patients to use the hospital as normal.

Trust leaders said Bassetlaw Hospital served a much smaller population than Doncaster Royal Infirmary, which meant it saw fewer severely ill patients that ICU nurses needed regular hands-on experience with.

However, Unite claimed the forced rotation of nurses between the two hospitals was an attempt to run down ICU services at Bassetlaw.

The union said the move would also leave staff with "unsustainable" commute times before and after 13-hour shifts, with the risk of exhaustion, putting themselves and patients at risk.

On 13 November, ICU nurses took action short of a strike over the proposals through a ban on working on any ward or unit other than Bassetlaw ICU.

A two-day strike then followed from 27 to 29 November.

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."

The trust said it had put forward a "practical and fair" offer, which included reimbursement of mileage and flexible arrangements for those with caring responsibilities.

Karen Jessop, chief nurse at the trust, said: "Our priority is patient safety, and that means ensuring our highly skilled ICU nurses maintain the level of competency critically ill patients rightly expect.

"Bassetlaw Hospital sees fewer very sick patients, and a short-term rotation with Doncaster is the safest and most effective way to keep those specialist skills up to date.

"We have worked closely with colleagues and unions, and we believe our offer is practical, supportive, and focused on enabling our teams to continue delivering the safest, highest-quality care."

Unite said it was considering legal challenges to the hospital trust should it proceed with its plans.

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