Phlebotomy colleagues vote to end strike

For the past year, the Trust has been affected by industrial action involving phlebotomy colleagues.

Throughout this period, our priority has remained maintaining safe and effective care for patients while working constructively with UNISON to resolve the dispute.

We are pleased that phlebotomy colleagues have voted to end the strike and accept the offer to proceed to an independent panel, which was first made by us last summer.

This positive step enables us to move forward together. It is something we have been calling for, for many months.

As part of the agreement reached, the phlebotomy role will now be reviewed through the national independent process. This ensures a fair and transparent assessment of pay and banding, and all parties will commit to the outcome.

Phlebotomy teams will physically begin returning to work from Monday 16 March 2026, and we look forward to welcoming them back into our hospitals.

During the industrial action, we had to adapt the service to maintain urgent and essential patient services. These changes have helped improve turnaround times for blood samples and supported earlier discharges from our wards compared to the previous way of working.

As part of this latest ballot, we have now also reached agreement to consult with colleagues on a proposed new service model with the aim of ensuring these service improvements can be sustained in the interests of patient care.

We would like to thank patients, families, and colleagues across the Trust for their understanding and support throughout this period.