Industrial Action

Over the last few months, a number of  health and care unions balloted their NHS members to take part in industrial action over the 2022/23 pay award. Some agreements have now been reached  meaning strike action will not continue e.g. nurses and some ambulance workers in England.

Some unions have a mandate (agreement) for industrial action from their members and can strike with enough notice. Dates for action due to take place are listed below.

The pay dispute is between the Government and trade unions and NHS Greater Manchester is working with partners to limit disruption for patients and ensure the provision of safe, emergency care.

• Please only call 999 or attend A&E if it is a life-threatening emergency. This means we our urgent care resources can go those who need it.
• Make use of NHS 111 online (unless your call relates to a child under 5 or you do not have internet access). It is a fast and convenient way to get help and support and signpost you to the most appropriate service.

• Not every hospital and ambulance service will be affected in the same way by strike action.
• Union membership is not evenly distributed across all services, so disruption may vary.
• You can check which other hospital trusts are affected on the NHS England website. 

Everyone who has an appointment should attend as planned, unless your local NHS provider has contacted you to reschedule. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment even if your hospital trust is affected by strikes.

Emergency care will continue to be available across all parts of the country. It is really important that in emergency and life-threatening cases – when someone is seriously ill or their life is at risk patients continue to come forward as normal.

Our emergency, urgent care and maternity services will be available for patients who need them.  We are prioritising resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for urgent elective care and some cancer surgery.

GP services are impacted by industrial action taken by junior doctors and are anticipated to be busy. Same day appointments are available. Please continue to attend scheduled appointments unless you have been told otherwise.

The NHS will contact you if your appointment or patient transport needs to be rescheduled due to strike action. This is likely to be a letter or phone call, and you should be offered an alternative date for your appointment. If we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

No, the NHS will contact you if your appointment needs to be rescheduled due to strike action.

Patients should be aware that it may take slightly longer for services to return to normal and the days after industrial action are expected to be busier than usual.

No, if we have not contacted you, please attend your appointment as planned.

December 2022 and January 2023:

• Whilst in some areas of the country, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) members went on strike on 15th and 20th December, these strikes did not impact hospitals in Greater Manchester.
• Members of the GMB, Unite and Unison (ambulance staff) went on strike on 21 December 2022 and 11 January 2023 across Greater Manchester.
• Members of the Royal College of Nursing went on strike on 18 and 19 January 2023 at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
• Members of the GMB and Unison unions (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 23 January 2023 and members of the GMB union (ambulance staff) went on strike on 24 January 2023.
• The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) took industrial action for its members employed by 30 NHS trusts across England on 26 January 2023 as part of a dispute over pay and retention. Trusts in Greater Manchester were not affected.

February 2023:

• Members of the Royal College of Nursing went on strike on 6 and 7 February 2023.
• Members of the GMB and Unite unions (ambulance staff) took industrial action in Greater Manchester on 6 February 2023.
• Members of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) went on strike on 9 February 2023 at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Stockport NHS Foundation Trust.
• Members of the Unison union (ambulance staff) took industrial action  in Greater Manchester on 10 February 2023.
• Members of the GMB union (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 20 February 2023.
• Members of the Unite union (ambulance staff) went on strike in Greater Manchester on 22 February 2023.

March 2023:

• Members of the GMB and Unite unions (ambulance staff) paused their industrial action planned for 6 and 20 March 2023.
• Junior doctors across England went on strike on 13, 14 and 15 March all day affecting all NHS hospitals in Greater Manchester.

April and May 2023:

• Junior doctors across England went on strike from 06.59 am on Tuesday 11 April to 06.59 on Saturday 15 April affecting every NHS hospital in Greater Manchester and some GP practices.
• Members of the Royal College of Nursing took industrial action rom 20:00pm on 30th April to 11.59pm on 1st May 2023 at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust. This strike was planned to be 48 hours in total but was cut short due to a legal challenge by the Government.

June 2023:

• Junior doctors at all NHS hospitals and some GP practices across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 6.59am on Wednesday June 14th until 7am on Saturday June 17th.

July 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Thursday 13 July to 7am on Tuesday 18 July.
• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Thursday 20 July until 7am on Saturday 22 July.
• The Society of Radiographers (SoR) announced that it would hold 48 hours of strikes, from 8am on Tuesday 25 July to 8am on Thursday 27 July 2023 in 43 NHS trusts across the country. Trusts in Greater Manchester did not meet the turnout threshold needed to secure further industrial action so members here did not strike.

August 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Friday 11 August until 7am on Tuesday 15th August.
• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Thursday 24 August until 7am on Saturday 26 August.

September 2023:

• Consultant doctors at all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on Tuesday 19 September until 7am on Thursday 21 September. They will provide emergency care.
• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester went on strike from 7am on Wednesday 20 September, providing emergency care on this day, continuing with a full walkout on Thursday 21 September until 7am on Saturday 23 September.

October 2023:

• Consultant doctors and junior doctors at all NHS hospitals and some GP practices across Greater Manchester took industrial action for 72 hours from 7am on Monday 2 October until 7am on Thursday 5 October, providing emergency care only.

December 2023:

• Junior doctors at some GP practices and all NHS hospitals across Greater Manchester took industrial action from 7am on 20th December to 7am on 23rd December 2023.

January 2024:

• Junior doctors took industrial action from 7am on 3rd January to 7am on 9th January 2024.

February 2024:

• Industrial action by junior doctors from 7am on Saturday 24 February until 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 February 2024.

June and July 2024:

• Industrial action by junior doctors took place from 7am on Thursday 27 June 2024 to 7am on Tuesday 2 July 2024.