By Edward Barnes - Local Democracy Reporter

More NHS staff will walk out next month in Cheshire and Merseyside than in any other region of England.

The Royal College of Nursing has voted for strike action on February 6 and 7 with physiotherapists going on their second ever strike on February 9.

11 NHS trusts and services will be walking out because of pay disputes during the cost of living crisis and working conditions. Both nurses and physios believe these changes are key to recruiting and retaining new staff in the NHS.

This includes NHS staff in Chester, Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Alder Hey and Walton as well as the Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and the North West Ambulance service.

Graham Urwin, Chief Executive of the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board, warned: "We have to recognise that there is a significant impact on the delivery of health services but you've heard me say it here before.

"We continue to respect our staff's rights to engage in this legal strike action and we continue to make sure that we work closely with the trade unions so that emergency services are covered on those days and can keep services safe for our population."

Mr Urwin said during strikes on January 23, there was a 6% reduction in people turning up to A&E which he said "indicates a degree of public support for the NHS and for the staff." As a result, Mr Urwin said more patients were actually able to get into hospital beds and get treated.

He added: "While this isn't perfect reassurance, it does reassure me that the right patients were still getting the right ambulances, the right patients were still getting to hospital, and the right patients were still getting the treatment they required but it remains a very difficult and challenging period."

The health board also updated the public on the situation with patients being cared for on hospital corridors. Over December and Christmas, photos appeared in the press showing the pressures the NHS is currently under.

A report said that while the numbers of patients in hospital corridors had gone down since a peak of Covid and flu infections over Christmas, "corridor care should not happen at all and is a sign that we are still under great pressure".

The report also warned that while far fewer patients were facing extreme waits, "emergency departments are still full with too many patients spending in excess of 12 hours in department."

Statistics showed that in some NHS trusts, 50 or more patients were still waiting for a bed each day in emergency departments while handover times for ambulances in December was nearly double the wait compared to a year ago.

On Monday, Macclesfield Nub News spoke with local ambulance workers who went on strike, and revealed why they took to the pickets.

Macclesfield: Please click here to read that article.

By Edward Barnes - Local Democracy Reporter

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