Intensive care nurses at Bassetlaw Hospital are set to strike over plans to rotate them to a different hospital 20 miles away.
The nurses are being told that they need to transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Doncaster Royal Infirmary for up to two months a year in order to maintain their skills and competencies.
“This is on top of the 13-hour shifts the nurses already work – risking burnout for them”
Chris Rawlinson
Those who do not voluntarily rotate are being threatened with “fire and rehire” by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, according to the nurses’ union, Unite.
This would see the nurses sacked and then reappointed on new contracts stipulating that they must move between Bassetlaw and Doncaster ICUs when requested.
Unite regional officer Chris Rawlinson said: “The trust’s plan is entirely unreasonable.
“They add at least an hour-and-a-half commute for those who drive and three hours for those who use public transport.
“This is on top of the 13-hour shifts the nurses already work – risking burnout for them and needlessly endangering patient safety due to staff exhaustion.”
The proposals have already led to four members of staff leaving Bassetlaw ICU for other units, said Unite.
In addition, the nurses are concerned that the transfers are a step towards Bassetlaw Hospital losing its ICU permanently through “decommissioning by stealth”.
The reason given by the trust for the proposal is that Bassetlaw sees fewer level three patients – those who are critically ill and require constant observation and treatment – and therefore the nurses need to be rotated to Doncaster to keep up their skills in providing this care.
However, Unite disputed this. It said the trust’s own data showed that, per capita, nurses at Bassetlaw had a similar or higher exposure to level three patients than nurses at Doncaster.
Asked if it was true that the nurses were being threatened with fire and rehire, a spokesperson for the trust did not refute the claims.
“This is about doing the right thing for our patients”
Karen Jessop
Instead, they said: “Discussions with union representatives are ongoing, and we remain committed to reaching a fair resolution.
“Any further steps would only be considered if no satisfactory agreement is reached.
“Colleagues’ existing contractual hours, whether full-time or part-time, will be honoured, and there is no plan to amend full-time contracts to part-time.”
Meanwhile, appearing to respond to the concerns about Bassetlaw ICU closing, the spokesperson pointed out the fact that the trust had recently invested £30m in a new emergency care complex at the hospital and that, while the ICU was separate, it was part of the same pathway.
Karen Jessop, chief nurse at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, said: “We understand that change is difficult, however this is about doing the right thing for our patients and securing the future of critical services locally.
“The ICU at Bassetlaw Hospital sees fewer critically ill patients than Doncaster Royal Infirmary, meaning clinicians at the latter manage more complex cases daily.
“By rotating our ICU clinicians across both sites, we ensure they maintain the skills and experience needed to provide safe, high-quality care— wherever it’s needed.”
She added: “With these changes, we can ensure services remain safe, sustainable and effective for years to come.”
Unite said dates for strike action would be scheduled in the coming weeks if the dispute was not resolved.
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