Hundreds of healthcare assistants are set to take strike action later this month in a dispute over back pay.

If it goes ahead as planned, the 48-hour walkout by the staff at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will begin on Wednesday, July 16.

UNISON says that its campaigning persuaded senior managers at the trust to last year move the support staff onto a higher salary scale, in recognition of the more complex jobs they now do.

But this has led to an issue that has resulted in planned strike action, with the union’s Northern regional secretary Clare Williams saying: “For years, staff worked way above their pay grade. It’s only right that having moved them up the NHS salary scale, their managers give them a sensible amount of compensation to cover all the wages they were denied.

The Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington is one of the hospitals operated by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

placeholder image — The Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington is one of the hospitals operated by Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

“Elsewhere in the North East, healthcare assistants in Teesside, Sunderland and South Tyneside have secured far better back pay deals. There’s no reason why staff in Northumbria should have to settle for less.

“The trust must do the right thing, get back into negotiations and come up with a significantly improved offer.”

A Northumbria Healthcare spokesperson said: “Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust worked in partnership with our local staff side last year and reached an agreement in principle to re-band the role of nursing assistant from Band 2 to Band 3 with effect from 1 April 2024, with pay back-dated to 1 April 2022.

“We acted quickly to make the banding changes and pay backpay to those who were entitled to it.

“As always, we are committed to working in partnership with our staff side colleagues on local matters and we will do what is required to ensure the safe care of our patients.”