Guys and St Thomas’ theatre nurses to strike over ‘dangerous rise in hours’

50 day surgery theatre nurses at Guy's and St Thomas’ will walkout on June 27 and July 2, after the end of their shift time was moved from 8pm to 9pm.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Guys and St Thomas’ theatre nurses were already running on fumes. They were working beyond their shifts to ensure patients were cared for properly.

“Our members understand the pressure the NHS is under but working staff until they break is not the answer. Guys and St Thomas’ leadership must find another way. Unite is dedicated to protecting the jobs, pay and conditions and the workers at Guys and St Thomas have the union’s total support throughout this dispute.”

Unite says workers were already chronically overworked and the increase in shift times is now “compromising patient safety” because they are exhausted.

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

A Guys and St Thomas’ theatre nurse said: “Staff in the day surgery units at Guys and St Thomas's hospitals are striking because they are tired of having their concerns over burnout and patient safety repeatedly ignored by managers. 

“The situation has now reached crisis point, with nurses feeling like they have no option but to strike to protect themselves and their patients.”

A spokesperson for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are disappointed that Unite are continuing with these strikes while constructive talks are ongoing. We would urge them to call off this action so we can continue making progress on improving the shift patterns for our highly valued and important theatre nurses.

“We are working closely with colleagues to plan for the impact of this strike, and any changes to patient care will be communicated directly to patients and via our usual public channels as appropriate.”