Nurse and ambulance staff have launched strike action today in England as part of an ongoing dispute over pay.

Royal College of Nursing members will be joined by ambulance staff represented by the GMB and Unite unions.

Two-day nurse strike action (Feb 6-7) is taking place at 73 NHS Trusts in England compared with 55 Trusts in January and 44 in December.

More industrial action in England comes after, the RCN and GMB unions halted strike action in Wales planned for this week after the government made new pay offers. Action today by Unite ambulance workers in Wales has gone ahead.

Strike action by nurses in Scotland has been paused while talks continue.

Unions have pledged to continue to respond to life-threatening situations and offer critical care while the government has launched legislation to guarantee a minimum level of service.

Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: “Despite contingency measures in place, strikes by ambulance and nursing unions this week will inevitably cause further delays for patients who already face longer waits due to the Covid backlogs. We prioritised £250 million of support last month for extra capacity in urgent and emergency care, but strikes this week will only increase the disruption faced by patients.

“The Governor of the Bank of England warned if we try to beat inflation with high pay rises, it will only get worse and people would not be better off.

“It is crucial people continue to access the services they need – please attend your appointments unless told otherwise, use 999 in a life-threatening emergency and use NHS 111 online services, your GP and pharmacy for non-urgent health needs.

“I have held constructive talks with the trade unions on pay and affordability and continue to urge them to call off the strikes. It is time for the trade unions to look forward and engage in a constructive dialogue about the Pay Review Body Process for the coming year.”