Healthcare assistants announce March strike date

Unison staff at seven hospitals will walk out, including at James Cook University Hospital

About 1,000 healthcare assistants at two NHS trusts are set to go on strike in a dispute over pay.

Unison members at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will walk out for 24 hours on Monday 11 March, from 07:00 GMT.

It is part of a campaign calling for workers to be paid a higher salary band which "accurately reflects the work they have been doing" and an improvement on a back pay offer, the union said.

In a joint statement, the hospital trusts said they have been working to move healthcare assistants to different grades where applicable.

Seven sites will be affected by the walkout:

• University Hospital of North Tees, Stockton

• University Hospital of Hartlepool

• James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough

• Friarage Hospital, Northallerton

• Redcar Primary Care Hospital

• East Cleveland Primary Care Hospital, Brotton

• The Friary Community Hospital, Richmond

'Not good enough'

Unison said healthcare assistants on Band 2 had been performing clinical tasks, such as inserting cannulas, which warranted being paid on Band 3.

A spokesperson for both trusts said they had "committed" to back pay dating to July 2021, which was when the national job profile for the clinical support worker role changed.

Unison previously said it wanted staff to receive back pay dating to July 2019.

It highlighted the case of a healthcare assistant at the University Hospital of Hartlepool, who said: "For years, healthcare assistants have been doing extra tasks to support patients. All we’re asking is to be paid fairly for the work we’ve done.

"The current offer is simply not good enough."

The spokesperson for both trusts added: "We recognise and appreciate the huge contribution that healthcare assistants make to our patients."