Health Department sets minimum services at Valdecilla for the general strike

The Health Counselor, César Pascual Fernández, has established by resolution the essential minimum services that will govern the Marqués de Valdecilla Foundation during the general strike day of November 11, 2026. The regulation is published in the extraordinary Official Gazette of Cantabria number 32, dated November 11, 2026, within the general provisions of the Department of Health, with official reference CVE-2026-8936. Coverage extends from 00:00 to 24:00 hours on the day of the strike.

A state strike with impact on Cantabria’s main hospital

The call affects all labor and civil service activities, public and private, within the geographical and legal scope of the Spanish State, and therefore reaches the health foundation. It is signed by four organizations:

• CCOO
• UGT
• Confederación Intersindical
• Confederación General del Trabajo

The regional Executive invokes article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution, of December 27, 1978, and Royal Decree-Law 17/1977, of March 4, on Labor Relations, as well as the doctrine of the Constitutional Court, to justify the inescapable obligation to guarantee the community’s essential services. The resolution is issued under sections a) and l) of article 59 of the Cantabria Law 7/2002, of December 10, on the Health Organization of Cantabria, and is based on the proposal submitted by the foundation itself to the department.

Blood Bank, Advanced Therapies, Tissues and Breast Milk

The annex details the staffing of the Blood and Tissue Bank of Cantabria, with activity in the Liencres Hospital and in Pavilion 13 of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, organized by shifts:

• Morning shift in Liencres: 1 administrative assistant, 1 hematologist, 2 laboratory technicians from the Blood Bank, 1 biologist from the Advanced Therapies Unit, 1 biologist from the Tissue Bank and Milk Bank, 1 laboratory technician for Advanced Therapies and 1 laboratory technician for the Milk Bank and Tissue Bank.
• Donation room of Pavilion 13: 3 nurses and 1 nursing assistant (TCAE).
• Mobile unit: 1 doctor, 1 nurse and 1 administrative assistant.
• Afternoon shift: 2 laboratory technicians in Liencres, 3 nurses and 1 nursing assistant (TCAE) in the donation room, and the same mobile unit team.
• Night shift: 1 laboratory technician from the Blood Bank in Liencres.

The motivation is based on guaranteeing the supply of blood components for surgical interventions, emergencies, severe hemorrhages, accidents, and onco-hematological treatments, given that reserves have an expiration date and limited availability. It also protects hospital distribution, healthcare during donations and apheresis, and non-deferrable actions of Advanced Therapies, the Tissue Bank, and the Human Milk Bank, the latter being relevant for premature newborns or those in delicate clinical situations. The resolution warns that the minimums must not replicate the ordinary activity of the center.

Curatorships and persons with support measures

In the support unit for persons with disabilities, the staffing is set at three professionals: 1 social worker, 1 support assistant, and 1 administrative assistant. The text justifies the measure based on the special vulnerability of persons subject to curatorship and support measures, who require backing for the exercise of their legal capacity, the defense of their rights and interests, and the attention to personal, health, social, and patrimonial needs. The aim is to avoid situations of lack of protection, attend to unforeseen emergencies, and guarantee accompaniment to consultations and treatments that cannot be postponed. The resolution clarifies that minimum services are not established for the General Services units nor for the Public Health Observatory.

Opening of centers and means of appeal

The centers and dependencies of the Marqués de Valdecilla Foundation will remain open during the strike day, and failure to comply with the obligation to provide essential minimum services will be sanctioned in accordance with current legislation. The resolution exhausts the administrative route: an optional appeal for reversal may be filed before the Health Councilor within one month from the day following its notification, or directly a contentious-administrative appeal within two months before the Contentious-Administrative Section of the Court of First Instance of Santander. The document was signed in Santander on November 10, 2026.

The decision directly affects patients and relatives of the main Cantabrian hospital, persons served by the foundation’s support services, and the professionals who must cover the minimum shifts, including the night shift, during a twenty-four-hour strike day.

Source: Official Gazette of Cantabria, extraordinary no. 32, November 11, 2026, section 1. General Provisions, pp. 5717-5721 (official reference: CVE-2026-8936).