• Patient safety paramount
• Trusts using lessons from first strike day to bolster plans
• More strikes loom as overstretched NHS under strain
• Ministers and unions must sit down and negotiate before strain of industrial action gets worse.

On strike action by nurses yesterday (15 December) and more looming industrial action by NHS workers, NHS Providers' interim chief executive Saffron Cordery said:

"We saw a very mixed picture yesterday with 44 trusts subject to strike action. There was significant disruption in some trusts and for patients, and it was a demanding day for those working on the front line.

"Some trust leaders reported a lot of pressure on accident and emergency departments. Some routine operations and procedures had to be rescheduled in places where there were strikes. Anecdotally we heard examples of between 40 and 60% of elective activity being affected. That is a significant impact as the NHS strives to bear down on backlogs.

"Trusts have planned meticulously for strikes, with keeping patients safe the top priority. Trust leaders will learn from the events of the first day of strike action by nurses to strengthen their plans further and will continue to do everything they can to minimise disruption for patients, ensure the safe delivery of care and support the wellbeing of staff as they face more planned – and sequential – strikes by nurses and ambulance workers next week.

"The NHS is already overstretched by the effects of what may be its toughest ever winter, with flu and COVID-19 adding to pressures exacerbated by a record-high 133,000 staff vacancies across trusts.

"Leaders across the NHS understand how strongly nurses and ambulance staff feel and why below-inflation pay awards amid the rising cost of living, severe staff shortages and ever-increasing workloads have brought them to this point.

"The potential for prolonged industrial action is very worrying. There must be urgent, serious talks between health ministers and unions to avert more strikes."