A strike by specialist healthcare workers has become the longest in NHS history, as a group of phlebotomists in Gloucestershire reached their 200th day of industrial action.
Trade union Unison, which represents the striking staff, said the workers are not being paid fairly for the “skilled work they do” collecting and handling blood samples.
Caroline Hayhurst, one of the 37 striking phlebotomists, met with representatives from the Gloucestershire NHS Trust on Friday and said the discussion gave “hope” that a resolution could be reached.
The Gloucestershire NHS Trust has been contacted for comment. Its chief executive, Kevin McNamara, previously stated that he wanted to adhere to the national pay framework to ensure “fairness and consistency” across the NHS.
The strike, which began in March 2025, has seen multiple meetings between the union and the trust, but no final agreement has yet been reached. During the latest round of talks, Ms Hayhurst said there were several “negotiating points” raised, including the possible “revaluation of the role”.
Currently, phlebotomists are classified as Band 2 on the NHS pay scale, but Unison argues that this banding does not reflect the level of responsibility involved in their work.
Mr McNamara previously noted that the national campaign to move healthcare support workers from Band 2 to Band 3 did not include phlebotomists.
Unison’s general secretary, Christina McAnea, criticised the length of the dispute, saying, “It’s a scandal that hospital managers have allowed this dispute to drag on for 200 days.”
She added, “They’re dedicated NHS staff who didn’t want to strike, but after years of being underpaid and ignored, they were left with no choice.”
