PATIENT safety and urgent care will not be affected after midwives voted to join a strike over NHS pay.
That's the message from the Royal College of Midwives and Nottingham's hospitals after it was announced yesterday that 82 per cent of the union's members had voted in favour of the strike.
It is the first time that midwives have been balloted on industrial action. It is not known how many midwives in Nottingham will join the strike.
They will be joined by other NHS staff, including nurses, healthcare assistants and porters, for the four-hour walk-out on October 13.
Cathy Warwick (pictured), chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, which has 26,000 members, said: "This is a resounding 'yes'. It could not send a clearer signal about the level of discontent on this issue.
"The RCM will be meeting with employers to discuss our action and to ensure that mothers and babies are not put at any risk. "
A statement from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital, said: "We will continue working closely with the RCM to make sure patient safety and urgent care will not be affected in any way by the action."
