HOSPITALS could be left with just one nurse per ward in this weekend’s NHS strike.
Bosses at Cambridge University Hospitals said it is “not possible to guarantee patient safety” during the walkout from Sunday to Tuesday.
It will be the Royal College of Nursing’s most extreme strike so far, as they refuse to cover A&E, intensive care or cancer wards for the first time.
In a letter seen by the Health Service Journal, Cambridge bosses said: “Our current information indicates there will be a severe shortage of nurses in almost all ward areas, with as few as one nurse per ward per shift.”
It said they expect “very severe shortages” in children’s A&E and up to a third of intensive care beds would have to close.
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The letter added: “It is not possible to guarantee patient safety on our wards over the forthcoming weekend.”
It comes after Matthew Taylor, chief of NHS Confederation, warned patients will be left in a “precarious position”.
Nurses could see their strike being cut short by a High Court judge today as ministers take legal action to determine whether the entire walkout is lawful.
NHS chiefs and the RCN are locked in a battle over when the union’s mandate from its November vote runs out – Monday night or Tuesday night.
If the court rules in favour of the Government, nurses will have to shave eight hours off their industrial action to stay within the law.
Meanwhile, the Royal College of Midwives voted to accept the five per cent pay offer and a bonus that was put forward by ministers to end the strikes.
Alice Sorby, of the RCM, said: “The offer was not perfect but it was a step forward.”
It means the divide between unions is growing ahead of a crunch NHS staff council meeting next week, with nurses against the deal but Unison and now the RCM in favour.