An interview in Tribune magazine with Denise Kelly, chair of the Royal College of Nursing’s Trade Union Committee, brings into focus why nurses have voted to strike.

She says, “Last year, we did a workforce survey that showed 80% of our members felt that there weren’t enough nursing staff to meet patients’ needs, and only 18% of those surveyed said they had enough time to provide the level of care they would want for themselves or their family. That really is a disgrace.”

In other words, the strikes are as much about the health services that we have in this country, as there are about the pay and conditions of those who deliver them. As Denise states in the interview.

“Nurses are striking because patients are dying.”

You can read the full interview here.