The Royal College of Nursing agrees to provide some staff during the strike

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is working with health chiefs to secure some staff during the holiday strike, including hospitals Great Ormond Street issued patient safety alerts.

The RCN, which is on strike from 8pm on Sunday until 11.59pm on Monday, previously said it would not agree to walk-outs – the broad areas of relief where unions agree to provide staff during industrial action.

This means that nurses in the intensive care, emergency and cancer care units will be on strike.

However, in the new development they agreed with him NHS England that “safety-critical mitigations may be required for a period of time to ensure safe patient care.”

It comes as Great Ormond Street Hospital in London warned on Friday that it had “serious concerns about the safety of hospital staff” during the strike.

The world-renowned children’s hospital said it had announced the business continuity incident, adding that wards would not be able to be staffed at normal levels.

Some children may have to be sent home to ensure the safety of those who remain, the website said.

The RCN said some “critical safety measures” had been agreed in advance with individual NHS organizations and the union planned to post them on the RCN’s website by region.

A statement from the RCN said: “Once safety-critical mitigation measures have been approved by the RCN, the local trust will contact medical staff and seek their return to work.

“The RCN will also publish a critical safety mitigation approval notice on its website to make it easy for members to check.

“When mitigation has been confirmed, participants must return to work to protect patient safety.”

A spokeswoman for the RCN said: “There are no blanket exemptions in the country.

“But we are taking reasonable and clinically immediate mitigation measures to protect life and limb, as everyone expects.”

A spokeswoman added: “It is very clear that the NHS cannot cope without nurses. When Govt treat them fairly, this miserable situation will end.

“Nurses are stepping up action because the strike has so far not brought a good enough offer from ministers – too valuable to strike but not valued enough to pay fairly.

“Nursing staff will always ensure that the care of life and limb is protected and the NHS acknowledges that the RCN agrees to mitigate the consequences upon request.”

In a statement, Matthew Taylorchief executive of the NHS Confederation, told the PA news agency: “Health chiefs are working hard to finalize their plans ahead of the most dramatic strikes the RCN has staged to date, with no national exceptions.

“Although the strike will be a day shorter than originally planned, disruption is still expected and we therefore hope that the RCN representatives at local level will allow their members to cross the picket line in the event of an emergency where lives are at risk a threat.”

He said health chiefs would “wait with bated breath” to understand the collective view of the NHS Staff Council – made up of health unions, employers and government representatives – which is meeting on Tuesday to discuss the government’s 5% pay proposal.

“With waiting lists and staff fatigue so high, they are keen to see the disruption caused by mass action brought to an end by a financial pay deal that satisfies the majority and for the Government to significantly increase its support for the NHS with a workforce strategy to help address the 124,000 vacancies in the service,” Mr Taylor added.

As the NHS prepares to cope with the strike, NHS England is urging the public to use health services wisely.

It said emergency and urgent care would remain a priority and people were asked to use other services such as pharmacies and 111 where possible.

Nurses make up a quarter of NHS staff and the largest proportion of the healthcare workforce.

NHS England warned that staff numbers in some areas of the country would be “exceptionally low, lower than in previous days of strike action”.

The NHS’s deputy chief nurse, Charlotte McArdle, said it was “likely to have a significant impact on local services over the bank holiday weekend”.

She added: “We are now entering the sixth month of mass action across the NHS and this is having a cumulative effect on staff who have gone above and beyond to maintain safe patient care during an incredibly challenging period.

“We recognize that every delayed appointment affects the lives of people and their families and puts extra pressure on services and an already tired workforce.

“If you need non-urgent help, I would encourage people – as always – to use services like pharmacies and 111 online, and if you have a life-threatening emergency, get help in the normal way by dialing 999.

“It is important that unless you have been contacted to advise otherwise, please attend the meeting as planned.”

NHS England said the number of postponed appointments due to strike action will reach half a million next week.

A High Court judge ruled on Thursday that it would be unlawful for the RCN strike to continue until Tuesday as originally planned, meaning it would end shortly before midnight on Monday.