Nurses across the region will take part in two days of strike action next month.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) asked its members to vote earlier this month on potential industrial action over pay levels and patient safety concerns.
The RCN has confirmed that all NHS trusts in Sussex have met the threshold for industrial action, meaning at least 50 per cent of nurses voted in favour of the strikes.
What does this mean for Sussex?
The RCN has said that details will be set out soon on which services in the NHS will be exempt from strike action, as the health service prepares for the likely cancellation of thousands of operations and appointments next month.
Services deemed “life-preserving” and “emergency-type care” will continue on strike days but as yet there are no exact detail about which departments will remain staffed when nurses in Sussex stage a walk-out.
On Friday, the RCN announced its members will stage their first national strike on December 15 and 20.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said there will be “very detailed and worked-through plans” set out soon about which services will be staffed, with a local strike committee in each organisation that has voted to take industrial action in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
What is deemed “emergency” and “life-preserving” has not yet been outlined, but Ms Cullen said services such as oncology would be exempt from any strike action.
A spokeswoman for NHS Sussex said: “NHS organisations across Sussex are working together and individually to make sure there are plans in place to keep any potential disruption to patient care to a minimum should any strike action take place.
“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on providing high quality patient care to all those who need it.”
These are the trusts in Sussex where strike action will take place:
- East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
- South East Coast Ambulance Service
- Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here