STRIKING nurses were given the cold shoulder by Colchester MP Will Quince after he told the Gazette he would not be visiting the picket line.

Frontline workers took part in strike action outside Colchester Hospital, in Turner Road, on Wednesday and Thursday over pay, staff shortages, and patient safety.

During their demonstrations, the NHS employees were visited by Labour councillor Pam Cox, who is vying to become the city’s next MP, and ward representative and Lib Dem Martin Goss.

Despite admitting to being “very frightened” for the future of the health service, the placard-wielding nurses did not get to lobby Colchester MP Mr Quince.

Gazette:

The Health Minister told the Gazette he would not be meeting frontline workers due to being in Parliament and working at the Department for Health and Social Care.

His social media pages, however, show he visited staff at Kingston Hospital’s A&E department, nearly 100 miles away from where some of his constituents were striking.

Mr Quince said: “No I won’t be [visiting nurses at Colchester Hospital]. I have met with Pat Cullen of the Royal College of Nursing and look forward to meeting her again.

“I know nurses are incredibly dedicated to their job and it is deeply regrettable some union members are going ahead with strike action.

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“We have accepted the recommendations of the independent NHS Pay Review Body to give nurses a pay rise of at least £1,400 on top of a three per cent pay rise last year.

“The Secretary of State and I have had constructive talks with the RCN and unions about the 2023/24 pay process and we look forward to continuing that dialogue.

“This year we will also publish a comprehensive workforce strategy to help recruit and retain more nurses to make the NHS the best place to work.”

Gazette:

But Mr Quince’s decision to not head to the Colchester Hospital picket line has been met with some upset.

Striking nurse Anna Swan, 64, who has worked at the Turner Road facility for 37 years, said: "I feel very disappointed Colchester’s serving MP did not feel such an important issue as the failing NHS did not warrant any of his time.

"The nurses union has never in its 150 yearr history called a strike - this is not being taken lightly.

"The joint issues of pay and patient safety deserve a response from the Government.

"Will Quince as Colchester’s elected representative should have been at the picket line to at least hear what we had to say."

Gazette:

Tony Durcan is the senior officer for the Royal College of Nursing in Essex helping nurses in Colchester fight for a 19 per cent pay increase.

He said: “We encourage all our region's MPs to speak to their nursing constituents about why fair pay is so important for the profession and for patient safety.

“MPs need to tell their ministerial colleagues to get back round the negotiating table and speak to the RCN about a fair pay rise for nursing staff for the sake of the future of the profession, patients, our local community and the NHS.”