Hospital theatre nurses claim victory after months of strike action

Theatre nurses at two central London hospitals have won their fight against an extension of their shift times, a union has said.

Following negotiations with Unite, Guy’s and St Thomas’ has agreed to reduce the number of late-night finishes required of the nurses.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “A huge well-done to Guy’s and St Thomas’ theatre nurses for standing together in their union and getting the trust to see sense over unsustainable working hours.

“Demanding healthcare staff run themselves into the ground as an alternative to proper investment is a short-term fix that will only worsen the crisis in the NHS.”

About 100 nurses took strike action in June, July and September, after the end of their shift time was moved from 8pm to 9pm.

Theatre staff had already had their shifts extended from 7pm to 8pm, Unite said, and had to start working Saturdays to support extra theatre lists.

Following negotiations, Guys and St Thomas’ have agreed to only implement the shift extension two days a week.

A spokeswoman said: “We have worked hard to bring an end to this dispute so we can operate on more patients and reduce waiting lists. This agreement allows us to do that whilst listening to the concerns of our staff.”

All scheduled strike action has now been called off, but the union says it will continue to consult with Guy’s and St Thomas’ over other issues related to the nurses’ working hours.

The trust has agreed to accept an extension of the nurses’ industrial action mandate until March 12, 2025, to allow negotiations to be completed.

Pictured top: Theatre nurses demonstrate outside NHS England’s headquarters in July (Picture: Unite)