NURSES have apologised to patients whose appointments had to be postponed as a result of strikes, but stressed action was essential in order to save the NHS.

NHS frontline workers at Colchester Hospital, in Turner Road, formed picket lines outside the healthcare facility’s main entrance yesterday, as well as on the roadside.

The impassioned employees, standing defiantly in solidarity, held aloft placards in order to get their message across and chanted “protect the patients, save the NHS”.

The nurses, all members of the Royal College of Nursing, are fighting for a pay increase of 19 per cent, but also fear low staffing numbers are endangering patients.

As a result of the strikes non-urgent operations and appointments have been rescheduled or postponed.

Gazette:

Anna Swan, 64, whose children also work in the NHS, has been nursing for more than four decades and has spent 37 years working at Colchester Hospital.

She has now addressed the rescheduling of appointments, saying nurses were left with no choice but to strike.

She said: “I really feel for everyone who has had an appointment postponed – why would I not? I am a nurse because I care about people.

READ MORE: Burnt-out Colchester nurses say they 'saw colleagues crying in cupboards'

“But this is about the health service of now, the health service of tomorrow, and the health service to come, when we are all going to need it even more than ever.

“I am really sorry appointments have been postponed but we need to preserve the health service and unfortunately this has turned out to be the way to try and do it.

“The support of the public means everything – they need us as much as we need them.

Gazette:

“I am very frightened for the NHS - it is crumbling around us, the pressures on it are enormous, and the resources we have seem to be dwindling every day.

“This is more than about the money. I love the NHS and it matters so much to me. We rely on it and expect it to be there when we need it but I am fearful for the future.

“It means everything having public support because we are also ordinary members of the public just doing our job."

The decision to postpone appointments was taken by bosses at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust, the body which runs the hospital.

When asked how many – and what types of - operations and appointments had been postponed due to nurses downing tools, the trust said it was not yet able to elaborate.

Gazette:

Chief executive Nick Hulme, however, has reiterated the importance of patient safety throughout the strike action, during which life-saving provisions will remain in place.

The healthcare boss said: “We have planned for all eventualities to keep our patients safe – this our top priority.

“We value all our staff and understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as for wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.

“While pay is a matter for Government and trade unions, we want to see a resolution as soon as possible.

“We want to make sure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality and compassionate patient care to anyone in our communities who needs it.”

Gazette:

Pam Cox, representative for New Town and Christ Church, visited picketers outside Colchester Hospital yesterday in a show of support.

She fears the NHS has reached a “real crisis point”.

Speaking at the strike Pam said: “I am supporting the nurses for lots of reason.

“I come from a nursing family - my two older sisters are nurses and my mother was a nurse so it is steeped in my family.

“Nurses would not come out on strike lightly and the fact the Royal College of Nursing does not have a history of striking but feels compelled to do this is telling.

“The NHS has reached a real crisis point and it now needs a new funding settlement and a new work plan and training needs to reorganising.

“We need better pay for staff and we need to make an effort to retain staff because retention is a problem due working conditions becoming intolerable.”