The Isle of Wight NHS Trust says it is not expecting to be affected by looming strike action by nurses, unlike many neighbouring organisations.

In many areas around the UK, members of the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) have opted to walkout, unhappy with pay and conditions.

Industrial action, expected before the end of the year, will be the first of its kind in over 106 years.

Despite a country-wide ballot of 300,000 RCN members, not everywhere gained enough support for a strike.

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Close to the Island, votes at the South East Coast Ambulance Service, the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, the University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust and the Solent NHS Trust all met the threshold and health bosses are braced for action.

It is expected the NHS will continue to treat emergency patients, but reports suggest hospitals could see staffing levels similar to Christmas, on strike days.

On the Isle of Wight, support did not meet the threshold for strike action, which is expected to mean that St Mary's Hospital in Newport will not see similar levels of disruption.

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Why are nurses unhappy?

This action follows years of frontline care during the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw people in the UK clapping for nurses on their doorsteps.

Despite that, RCN says experienced nurses’ salary has fallen 20 per cent in real terms since 2010.

It says they are effectively working unpaid one day a week. 

The union said: "This reduction, at a time of a cost-of-living crisis, means nursing staff are facing incredible financial hardship. Our members have had enough"

It added the number of empty posts - around 47,000 across the country - means services are unsafe.

It wants urgent talks.

How has the government responded?

Current Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, called the decision to take industrial action disappointing.

He said the RCN was 'out of step' with the current economic situation in the UK, adding industrial action would lead to delayed care for patients.

There will now be a worrying wait for news for Isle of Wight patients travelling to the mainland for treatment and those whose mental health care is delivered by mainland trusts.