WARRINGTON & Halton Hospitals is asking patients to attend appointments during strike action by healthcare support workers which starts this Thursday (Sept 28) unless they are directly contacted.
Healthcare support workers at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals are taking action from 7 am on Thursday 28 September to 8 am on Saturday 30 September 2023.
The strike action is part of a UNISON national campaign relating to the retrospective pay banding of healthcare support worker roles. It is not connected to the ongoing national strikes involving wider sections of the NHS workforce.
The Trust is committed to making sure that healthcare support workers are paid the right banding for the work they do. From 1 October, around 80% of healthcare support workers at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals will have their pay uplifted from a band 2 to a band 3. This reflects the different roles required across different parts of the organisation and the individual preferences of healthcare support workers.
The Trust has also set up a working group to explore the issue of retrospective pay banding in the detail it deserves. The group includes healthcare support workers and local trade union representatives and is aiming to establish a fair way to resolve this complex issue as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, despite this commitment to work in partnership with trade unions, regional UNISON colleagues have decided to pursue strike action. Whilst this is regrettable, we will continue to work to find a resolution for our healthcare support workers.
Appropriate actions are being taken to minimise any potential impact on patients during this period of industrial action. Patients are asked to attend their hospital appointments unless they are directly contacted by Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals.
Members of our communities can help by keeping the Emergency Department (Accident and Emergency) at Warrington Hospital free for emergencies and using alternative services including GPs, pharmacies and NHS 111 online for non-emergency health advice.
For more information and updates during the industrial action please CLICK HERE
