Nurses will stage two more strikes next month as a row with the Government over pay shows no clear sign of reaching a resolution.
In an escalation of industrial action, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said nurses will strike on February 6 and 7, with more NHS trusts taking part than during two days of strikes in December.
Nurses at 55 NHS trusts in England - including many across Merseyside - are already scheduled to walk out on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but the February action will grow bigger and cover 73 trusts.