Thousands of nurses are staging a second walkout in a row over pay as a series of strikes hits the UK in the run-up to Christmas. Around a quarter of hospitals and community teams in England are taking part in the strike, alongside all trusts in Northern Ireland and all but one health board in Wales.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Government are locked in a bitter dispute over pay, with ministers saying the salary rise demanded by unions is unaffordable. On Wednesday, ambulance workers including paramedics, control room workers and technicians will also walk out in England and Wales, with health chiefs warning this represents the most serious threat to date.
The RCN has been calling for a pay rise of 5% above inflation, though it has indicated it would accept a lower offer. When it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March, inflation was running at 7.5%. But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September.
