South London & Maudsley NHS Estates Staff Escalate Strikes, South London 2026

Key Points

• Estates staff at South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust are escalating strike action due to ongoing unequal pay disputes.
• The workforce includes tradespeople such as joiners, electricians, plumbers, and painter and decorators spanning pay grades from band three to band five.
• Some employees remain on band three pay despite carrying out identical duties to band five colleagues, with some having served in these roles for up to 25 years.
• Unite the Union has targeted Director of Strategic Performance Kathryn Magson, noting a previous Isle of Man employment tribunal that described her as “spiteful” and “self-serving” during a wrongful dismissal case regarding a Covid whistle-blower.
• Trade union members report bullying concerns regarding Ms Magson’s management style and contest the trust’s claim that 70 per cent of staff agreed to NVQ Level Three requirements for equal pay.
• Unite has criticised Chief People Officer Sue Smith for blocking job evaluations and attempting to alter evaluation panels by excluding trade union representatives.
• Industrial action passed with a 97 per cent vote in favour, following initial strikes held in late July and early August.
• The next round of industrial action includes an on-call ban starting at 16:30 on 25 August until 00:15 on 31 August, alongside picket lines at Denmark Hill outside Maudsley Hospital on 26, 27, and 28 August from 11:30.
• A second wave of strikes and on-call bans will run from 16:30 on 1 September to 07:59 on 7 September, with picketing on 2, 3, and 4 September from 10:00.

London (South London News) August 24, 2026 – Industrial action at the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is set to escalate sharply as estates workers prepare to walk out over long-running wage discrepancies and management disputes. The trades staff—comprising joiners, electricians, plumbers, and painters and decorators—are protesting a internal pay structure where staff carrying out identical responsibilities are placed on different pay bands ranging from band three to band five. Trade union representatives emphasize that several staff members have remained on band three compensation for up to a quarter of a century while working alongside band five peers performing the exact same functions.

Why are South London & Maudsley NHS estates staff escalating their strike action?

As reported by Unite the Union, the decision to escalate industrial action follows an initial round of strikes in late July and early August that disrupted maintenance and estates services across multiple key hospital sites, including Bethlem Royal, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Maudsley hospitals. The ballot returned a 97 per cent vote in favour of industrial action.

As stated by Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite,

“The trust’s two-tier workforce must end. Workers doing the same job must be equally paid. Unite fully supports these workers in taking strike action to end this injustice.”

The upcoming schedule involves a combination of work stoppages and on-call bans. The first phase commences at 16:30 on 25 August and ends at 00:15 on 31 August. Picket lines will be mounted outside Maudsley Hospital on Denmark Hill on 26, 27, and 28 August between 11:30 and the afternoon.

A secondary phase of action will resume at 16:30 on 1 September, concluding at 07:59 on 7 September, supported by picket lines on 2, 3, and 4 September from 10:00 onwards.

What allegations have been made against trust executives Kathryn Magson and Sue Smith?

As reported by trade union representatives at Unite, severe criticisms have been directed at two senior leadership figures within the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: Director of Strategic Performance Kathryn Magson, who oversees estates, and Chief People Officer Sue Smith.

Unite pointed to Ms Magson’s prior role as executive director of the Isle of Man’s Department of Health and Social Care.

During an employment tribunal investigating the wrongful dismissal of the island’s former chief medical officer who had blown the whistle during the Covid pandemic, tribunal judges described Ms Magson as “spiteful” and “self-serving,” determining that her conduct in misleading the tribunal was “inexcusable.”

In her position at the South London & Maudsley trust, several employees have reported to Unite that they consider Ms Magson’s management style to be bullying.

Furthermore, union officials contest claims made under Ms Magson’s leadership that 70 per cent of staff agreed during consultations to structural changes requiring an NVQ Level Three qualification to access equal pay, describing the statement as untrue.

Simultaneously, Unite raised formal concerns regarding Chief People Officer Sue Smith. Union reps state that Ms Smith has blocked job evaluations from advancing and attempted to manipulate the evaluation panels by opposing the participation of recognized trade union representatives.

As stated by Maz Ebrahim, Regional Officer at Unite,

“Unite is concerned about the leadership of Kathryn Magson and Sue Smith due to deteriorating industrial relations. Strikes will not stop until the trust tells the truth, treats these workers with respect and puts forward an acceptable solution to unequal pay.”

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Background of the particular development

The dispute over pay banding within NHS trust estates departments stems from national and local evaluations of Agenda for Change pay structures. Estates personnel perform critical infrastructure maintenance, ensuring that hospital electrical grids, plumbing, structural integrity, and clinical facilities remain safe and operational.

Over several years, disparities have emerged where long-standing workers retained lower bandings despite performing complex trades tasks equivalent to higher-banded colleagues.

Previous strike actions held across South London & Maudsley facilities in July and August demonstrated the operational reliance of clinical centers like Maudsley Hospital and Bethlem Royal on regular maintenance staff.

The introduction of mandatory higher-level NVQ criteria for pay progression has become a major flashpoint, with trade unions alleging that management introduced these hurdles retroactively to suppress salary progression without valid consultation.

Prediction: How this development can affect patients, staff, and local healthcare delivery

The escalation of strike action and the implementation of an extended on-call ban are expected to have a tangible operational impact across South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust facilities.

• Impact on NHS Patients and Clinical Operations: While emergency coverage protocols are typically maintained, non-essential facility maintenance, repair of non-critical fixtures, and room refurbishments across Bethlem Royal, Lambeth, Lewisham, and Maudsley hospitals are likely to experience delays. Environmental maintenance issues that arise outside standard hours may take longer to address due to the active on-call ban.
• Impact on Hospital Staff and Tradespeople: For the estates workers themselves, prolonged industrial action involves lost wages during strike days, balanced against the pursuit of long-term pay parity and corrected job bandings. Strain on broader clinical staff may increase if minor facility faults remain unresolved during strike periods.
• Impact on Healthcare Governance and Trust Leadership: Continued public scrutiny regarding senior executives could press the trust board to re-evaluate internal grievance processes, restore formal job evaluation panels with union representation, and re-open collective bargaining negotiations to prevent further disruption to health services in South London.