Healthcare workers strike over staffing and union recognition

Summarised from 3 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 21 Oct, 17:58 · Archive

Healthcare workers at HCRG Care Group in Swindon, Chippenham and Bath are staging a 24-hour strike over staffing levels, workloads and union recognition.

Healthcare workers at HCRG Care Group staged a 24-hour strike on 21 October over staffing levels, excessive workloads and the company's refusal to recognise UNISON. The action followed a ballot in which 85 per cent of members voted in favour. Picket lines were in place at the Orbital centre in Swindon from 11am to 2pm.

The strike affected services in Swindon, Chippenham and Bath, including Swindon's Intermediate Care Centre, which provides long-term care for conditions such as hearing loss, stroke rehabilitation and physiotherapy. HCRG said that clinical care would not be disrupted by the walkout.

Tim Roberts, UNISON's south west regional secretary, said the strike was a last resort. He stated: 'These are dedicated healthcare workers who want to provide safe, high-quality care, but they're being pushed beyond their limits. Staff are deeply worried about vulnerable patients being left without the support they need.' Roberts said formal union recognition would give staff a stronger voice in raising concerns and negotiating improvements.

Workers reported serious service failures. One HCRG employee said response times for urgent calls had increased dramatically, sometimes taking seven or eight hours rather than the intended two hours. Workers also cited problems with an automated IT system that sometimes sent referrals to the wrong caseload, with one example given of a patient with a catheter being referred to the continence service instead of community nursing.

One worker said a patient on end-of-life care had died by the time staff contacted them due to the delays. Another noted that referrals sent to the wrong place had led to some patients not receiving urgent treatment for days. UNISON said the strike was 'never a decision healthcare workers take lightly' but workers felt they had been left with no other option.

How it is being reported

• Swindon health workers strike amid fears patients are being put at riskHealthcare workers have raised urgent concerns about patient safety and care standards.Swindon Advertiser · 21 Oct, 17:27
• LIVE: Health care workers strike at Swindon shopping centre over workloadHCRG Care Group workers will be on strike from 8am today, with picket lines surrounding the Orbital Retail Park from 11am until 2pm.Swindon Advertiser · 21 Oct, 10:27
• Health services affected as 24 hour strike gets underway in WiltshireHealthcare workers at HCRG Care Group in Swindon, Chippenham and Bath stage a 24-hour UNISON strike over staffing, workloads and union recognition concerns.Wiltshire Times · 21 Oct, 09:39
• Health services affected as 24 hour strike gets underway in WiltshireHealthcare workers at HCRG Care Group in Swindon, Chippenham and Bath stage a 24-hour UNISON strike over staffing, workloads and union recognition concerns.Gazette & Herald · 21 Oct, 09:39
• Health services affected as 24 hour strike gets underway in WiltshireHealthcare workers at HCRG Care Group in Swindon, Chippenham and Bath stage a 24-hour UNISON strike over staffing, workloads and union recognition concerns.Swindon Advertiser · 21 Oct, 09:39
• Healthcare workers to strike for 24 hours over staffing rowHealthcare workers in Swindon will stage a 24-hour strike this week amid a dispute over staffing levels, workloads and union recognition.Swindon Advertiser · 20 Oct, 05:00

In this story: HCRG Care Group · UNISON · Swindon · Chippenham · Bath · Tim Roberts

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