The health secretary, Steve Barclay, is expected to contact health unions to urge a fresh round of talks aimed at averting further strikes, amid new warnings that more action could put patients in danger.
It comes as No 10 rejected a proposal to give nurses a one-off lump-sum payment in an attempt to end the industrial action, one of the measures Barclay had suggested as a compromise in crunch Whitehall meetings last week.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) hinted it would be open to discussing a lump-sum payment, though warned that there could be no “political quick fixes”. The union has said further talks must take place within 48 hours of the second day of strike action on Tuesday, or more will be planned from January.Treasury sources had told the Observer that ministers were immovable on pay and would stick to the recommendation from the pay review body, but could potentially look at ways to give staff more money through one-off payments.But that is understood to have been ruled out, and Whitehall sources said Barclay had accepted that would not go ahead, with health sources saying it had only been mooted as one of a range of policy options.“The health secretary is determined to do what it takes to keep patients and the wider public safe in the face of industrial disputes,” one Department of Health and Social Care source said. “He has been working intensively with the prime minister to do so. To suggest they come at this issue differently is nonsense.”
Barclay has also ramped up warnings about the dangers of a potential ambulance service strike, suggesting unions had not made the necessary guarantees on life-saving care.
Unison, Unite and the GMB have confirmed that members will take part in strike action on Wednesday. Speaking on a visit to Chelmsford ambulance operations centre, Barclay said: “It’s important that the trade unions honour the commitment they’ve given to safeguard both life-threatening responses and emergency responses.
“We haven’t actually had that confirmed in the practical arrangements that the unions put in place at each trust.”
Barclay said he was “keen to continue talking” but said the current offer from ambulance workers was potentially putting patients at risks. “If the trade unions insist on only answering calls from the picket line then that in turn creates a delay which can have an impact on patient safety,” he said.
RCN sources earlier told the Guardian the union would be open to discussing with ministers the possibility of a one-off bonus for nurses to help ease the cost of living crisis. “If the government has offers to make, then let’s get negotiations started,” an RCN spokesperson said. “We will judge anything on the table against whether it is a fair move towards recognising the value of nursing.”
However, sources in the union also stressed there was still a need to negotiate on regular pay levels. “Our members would want to see more of a long-term plan than attempts at political quick fixes,” a spokesperson said.