A 48-hour nursing strike at the end of the month could face a High Court challenge as NHS bosses claim it is unlawful.
The Royal College of Nurses refutes a legal argument that its ballot does not give it a mandate to stage the planned walkout from 8pm on Sunday, April 30, to 8pm on Tuesday, May 2.
NHS Employers, an organisation which acts on behalf of NHS trusts, argues the six month period in which industrial action can be taken in England expires at midnight on May 1.