Health leaders have said the major 48-hour nurses strike announced for next month is a 'worrying escalation' that could 'lead to serious damage to the NHS' and 'risk patient safety'.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has announced a significant escalation in strike action at more than 120 NHS employers across England in the increasingly bitter dispute over pay and staffing. A 48-hour walkout will be staged from 6am on March 1.
For the first time, the RCN will involve nursing staff working in emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempted. The college said it was continuing discussions with the NHS at national level as part of its commitment to 'life and limb' care but will reduce services to an “absolute minimum”
