Nursing staff took strike action this week over deteriorating working conditions and patient safety.
A nurse was spat at and verbally abused while striking yesterday for pay and improved patient safety.
Paediatric registered nurse Hannah Taylor was targeted while on strike outside Southampton General Hospital.
Reportedly a couple approached the picket line and spat at Hannah’s feet, subsequently demanding the nurses to “shut up”.
Taking to social media following the incident, Hannah’s colleagues explained they planned on striking until there was an improvement in working conditions for staff and patient safety.
The value of salaries for experienced nurses today are 20% lower in real terms due to successive below-inflation pay awards since 2010 leading to around 50,000 unfilled nursing vacancies in England.
Really saddened after another long day at the #RCNStrike picket line to be spat at by a member of the public & told to ‘shut up’. Unfortunately until conditions for staff & our patients change, we will not ‘shut up’… #SafeStaffingSavesLives @RCN_Press @patcullen9 @theRCN pic.twitter.com/6opYh3DRjE
— SotonHannah_EBC (@SotonHannah_EBC) February 6, 2023
A long hard look at themselves.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) General Secretary Pat Cullen quickly called out the member of the public.
Ms Cullen told reporters, “I heard from the nurse who was verbally abused on the picket line yesterday and I find that so sad.
“The fact that anyone could do that to the people that kept us all going throughout the pandemic and not so long ago, I’m sure that person included, people were standing on the doorstep clapping for those nurses.
“Nurses who stood by them and left their own homes and spent hour upon hour working in intensive care units and other units.
“And to then do that to the nurses, I would ask those people to search their souls and have a long hard look at themselves.”
Nursing staff stood alongside their ambulance colleagues on Monday resulting in the largest strike in NHS history.
