Healthcare assistants to strike at south west London hospitals over pay
Monday 19 January 2026
For immediate release
Healthcare assistants to strike at south west London hospitals over pay
Healthcare assistants at St George’s Hospital in Tooting, Epsom Hospital in Sutton and St Helier Hospital in Carshalton will take strike action this week in an ongoing dispute over pay, says UNISON today (Monday).
The strike will run from 6am on Thursday 22 January until 8am on Saturday 24 January, with picket lines at the three main hospital sites*.
The staff are protesting over their employers’ refusal to properly compensate them for work carried out while they were on the wrong grade.
UNISON says the healthcare assistants have for years been performing duties – such as taking blood, carrying out electrocardiogram tests and inserting cannulas – that should have been paid at a higher hourly rate.
The two NHS trusts that run the hospitals^ have accepted the workers were routinely carrying out duties beyond their job roles and agreed to regrade them.
However, UNISON says managers have refused to pay a fair deal for the additional work staff have already done. Workers have been given just 17 months’ back pay, which the union says falls far short of what is owed.
Staff have also been placed at the bottom of the new pay band, despite some having more than 20 years’ service.
UNISON says the trusts’ position is out of step with agreements reached elsewhere. Since 2021, more than 60 NHS trusts in England and Wales have settled similar disputes, agreeing deals for over 40,000 healthcare workers.
UNISON London regional secretary Sara Gorton said: “Healthcare assistants are taking strike action because they’ve been pushed to breaking point.
“These staff have delivered skilled, essential care for years while being paid less than they should’ve been. The trusts have acknowledged the problem, but they’re still refusing to put things right.
“Hospital managers need to understand how angry and disappointed staff feel. This dispute can be resolved easily – healthcare assistants just need an offer that genuinely reflects the work they have done for years.”
Notes to editors:
*– Picket lines will be running at:
St Georges Hospital: Blackshaw Road entrance and Effort Street entrance from 7am
Epsom Hospital: Main Entrance from 7am
St Helier Hospital: Main Entrance from 7am
^– St George’s Hospital is run by St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The vote for strike action there was 100% in favour. Epsom and St Helier hospitals are run by Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust. The vote in favour of strike action there was 99%.
– Healthcare assistants include the following roles: healthcare support workers, maternity care assistants, maternity support workers, theatre support workers, theatre support care workers, theatre support assistants, clinical support workers, radiology assistants, anti-coagulation clinic assistants and endoscopy technicians.
– UNISON is the UK’s largest union with more than 1.3 million members providing public services in education, local government, the NHS, police service and energy. They are employed in the public, voluntary and private sectors.
Media contact
Emma Davey E: [email protected] M: 07432 733187