DOZENS of nurses waved placards outside Hexham General Hospital in the biggest strike in nursing history.
Around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England are part of the industrial action, including nurses at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has been calling for a pay rise at five per cent above inflation though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer.
Clare, one of the nurses who joined the picket line in Hexham, said: "None of us want to come out, we all want to be in there doing our jobs, but I think things have got to such a critical stage.
"It's not just about pay, this is about patient safety. What we see in our working lives and hear from colleagues is really worrying.
"We're here thinking about how we protect our patients for now and in the future going forward."
She added: "It's dreadful to think that people who have studied to degree level and work really hard have to use food banks.
"It's a huge part of the issue, pay, because we're not retaining staff and we're not recruiting staff to fill those empty posts.
"But patient safety is a huge issue for all of us standing here."
Community nurses Rachael Cruickshank, Sam White, and Lizzie Thirwell were also on the picket line.
Rachael, who has been a qualified nurse for more than 15 years, said she has seen members of her team leave nursing altogether.
"It's not just about the pay," she said. "We have a lot of responsibility, and I don't think we get that recognition."
Lizzie also said that more needs to be done to retain and attract staff.
"There's no incentive for students [to join nursing] because they get in loads of debt to train and then get paid very little for the high responsibility," she said.
Drivers sounded their horns in support as they went past the hospital and a local business brought those on the picket line bacon sandwiches and hot drinks while they braved the cold.
"We've had one boo but everyone else has been really positive," said Lizzie.
Thousands of NHS appointments and operations have been cancelled across the country because of the strike, with the health service running a bank holiday-style service in many areas.
But NHS leaders in the region have asked patients to continue to attend their appointments unless they have heard otherwise.
They have also reassured people that emergency care remains open.
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