Healthcare workers begin five days of strike action

Barbara Brook says she wants the trust to "recognise" all the jobs she has done

Healthcare assistants are striking for a third time in as many months in an ongoing row over pay.

Hundreds of workers at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust and South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust walked out at 08:00 BST.

The members of the Unison union said they routinely performed clinical tasks above their pay scale and wanted a salary increase and back pay.

In a joint statement, the trusts said the role of healthcare assistants was "much valued by our colleagues and patients".

The trusts have reassured people that urgent and emergency care would be prioritised during the strikes and patients should attend any appointments as usual, unless they were contacted to reschedule.

Healthcare workers have begun five days of strike action in an ongoing pay dispute

The James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, Friarage Hospital in Northallerton, and University Hospital of Hartlepool are all affected.

Workers said they often performed tasks, such as taking blood and inserting cannulas, which were above their pay grade.

Barbara Brook has been a healthcare worker for 30 years and was picketing outside the James Cook in Middlesbrough.

"For the last 20 years I have worked over my grade," she said.

"All I want is the trust to recognise all the jobs I've done over the years and say 'thank you very much, and this is what we owe you'."

Mrs Brook added: "If we don't stand up for ourselves, they're just going to do it again and again."

Michelle Cook joined other striking healthcare workers in Middlesbrough

Michelle Cook, who was also taking part in strike action, said she was "absolutely gutted" it had "come to this".

"I want to be working with my colleagues and alongside patients, because that's what I'm here to do, not to be standing on a picket line and fighting for something we shouldn't have to fight for," she said.

Clare Williams, who represents Unison members in the North East, said: "Really low paid, really essential health workers are having to take this third round of strike action.

"This is avoidable if the trust meet with us."

The dispute was over securing a back pay settlement and moving staff to a wage band that reflected their tasks more "accurately", the union said.

Band two healthcare assistants "should only be providing" personal care to patients, such as bathing and feeding, it added.

The two trusts have offered to move workers to a higher salary band, and have offered back pay to July 2021.

However, Unison wants staff to receive their pay back dated from July 2019.