Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely has praised the Island's nurses for not supporting strike action.

A country-wide ballot of 300,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) looks likely to mean industrial action for the first time in over 100 years, in some areas, possibly before Christmas.

Much of Hampshire, will be affected but, on the Isle of Wight, there was not enough support for a strike.

The NHS Trust, which runs St Mary's Hospital in Newport, is not expected to be faced with reduced staffing levels. 

The RCN is campaigning for a pay rise of five per cent above RPI inflation, to overcome real-terms pay cuts, support nursing staff through the cost-of-living crisis and recognise their safety critical skills. 

It says its members are unhappy after years of frontline Covid-19 nursing and a clap for the NHS on doorsteps, during lockdown.

The RCN says the salary of experienced nurses has fallen 20 per cent in real terms since 2010 and many are effectively working unpaid one day a week. 

The union said: "This reduction, at a time of a cost-of-living crisis, means nursing staff are facing incredible financial hardship. Our members have had enough"

In recent weeks, the Isle of Wight NHS Trust has faced a number of critical incidents, as demand for services swelled.

Bob Seely said: "I am very grateful that nurses on the Isle of Wight chose to continue to care for patients instead.

"Our nurses will be aware the pay settlement did not come from Government, but from the recommendations of an independent pay review body set up to find a fair settlement."

He argues nurses will get a pay rise of at least £1,400 this year, backdated to April 2022, adding it follows last year's three per cent rise.

Bob Seely said NHS funding from the government has steadily increased, and said: "Nurses were one of the very few groups to receive a pay rise last year, thanks to their hard work and dedication during the Covid pandemic.

"It is important that they are paid fairly.

"Nursing is a vocation and I know our nurses on the Island are committed to looking after patients. We are all grateful for the wonderful work they do caring for our community."

Mr Seely also pointed to new investment on the St Mary's Hospital site.

Work is due to start soon on a £23.7 million project for new emergency care facilities, as well as a £6.7 million new mental health hub.

Funding comes from the Investing in Our Future (IOF) programme, approved by the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England.

Action is expected at the South East Coast Ambulance Service, the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, the University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust and the Solent NHS Trust, where votes all met the threshold.