More than 40 biomedical scientists at Blackburn and Burnley hospitals are set to go on a major strike in the coming weeks over low staffing levels.

The 44 scientists at Royal Blackburn and Burnley General Hospitals have been escalating their dispute with East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) since February this year. 

The Unite members said they had been promised an increase in staffing but this has failed to materialise, so they will now take part in strike action on 12 separate occasions in November through to February 2024.

ELHT said it recognises the hard work of colleagues and a meeting has been held this week to address concerns.

There was also a ‘commitment to make changes’ and review staffing levels.

Staffing levels in the Blood Sciences department have been described as "dangerously low" and the walkouts by a critical cog in the hospital operation could have a serious impact on treatment at ELHT.

Staff numbers in the unit, which provides blood sample analysis and blood products for the entire Trust and wider GP services in East Lancashire, have ‘dwindled over two decades’.

Meanwhile, blood sample work has increased every year, leading to what Unite says are unsafe conditions that threaten patient safety.

Unite said the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that staff ‘reported their own employer to the Medicines and Health Regulatory Authority (MHRA)’. 

Unite general secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “This is a shocking indictment of a health trust that has abjectly failed to recruit much-needed staff.

"The situation is now dire and patient safety is at risk. ELHT needs to pull its socks up and sort out this mess.

“Unite always prioritises the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the biomedical scientists at ELHT have the union’s unflinching support."

Imran Akram, Unite regional officer, added: “Our members are highly skilled biomedical scientists performing a critical role for patients.

"But for more than 10 years. ELHT has failed to review staffing levels and patients’ lives are now at risk. 

“Despite repeated appeals for action nothing has been done and our members have been left with no choice but to down tools and head to the picket line.”

EHLT has been in discussions with the group, and contingency plans have been made for any disruption.

Jawad Husain, executive medical director at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “The first thing to recognise is that the pathology team is a hardworking and valued group of colleagues who are delivering a critical service to colleagues and patients.

"We simply can’t operate effectively without them and so we’re clear it’s key that we resolve the concerns they have as quickly as we can.

“We have met with them twice in the last 24 hours to listen and understand the issues, some of which we already accept and we have made a commitment to the team to make changes as soon as we can.

"This will include providing some extra resource to support them, review staffing levels to ensure they’re effective and improve the training provided.

“We want to work with colleagues, together as a team, and hope the actions and discussions already taken will demonstrate that.

"Patients should be reassured that in the event of industrial action we are making contingency plans to ensure tests carried out by GPs and our hospital colleagues can still be processed.”

 The 44 Unite members will walk out on the following dates, offering only emergency cover for risk-to-life cases, at the Royal Blackburn Hospital and the Burnley General Hospital:

  • November 27 to December 1
  • December 4 to December 8
  • December 11 to December 15
  • December 18 to December 22
  • December 25 to December 29
  • January 1 to January 5, 2024
  • January 8 to January 12
  • January 15 to January 19
  • January 22 to January 26
  • January 29 to February 2
  • February 5 to February 9 
  • February 12 to February 16