New strike dates in February have been announced by nurses in England and Wales after negotiations broke down.

The Royal College of Nursing said strike action would be escalated on 6 and 7 February due to the government’s refusal to “seriously negotiate”.

The union said the February action would be at the “highest intensity in our history”, taking place at 73 NHS trusts in England, compared to 44 in December and 55 in January.

The strikes in Wales will take place at the same NHS employers as they did in December. 

For a full list of areas affected, click here.

The RCN said decisions on further strike action in Northern Ireland would be taken in the coming weeks if there was no movement from the UK government to commence negotiations on pay. In Scotland, strike action remains paused while negotiations continue.

RCN general secretary & chief executive Pat Cullen said: “It is with a heavy heart that nursing staff are striking this week and again in three weeks.

“We are doing this in a desperate bid to get ministers to rescue the NHS. The only credible solution is to address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs – patient care is suffering like never before.

“My olive branch to governments – asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations – is still there. They should grab it.”

Ambulance action is scheduled to go ahead again on 23 January.

Unions have pledged to continue to answer life-threatening calls but in a letter to the GMB seen by the BBC, health secretary Steve Barclay has said the lack of cover for category two calls, including strokes, put some lives at risk.

The GMB has responded by accusing the government of “demonising” striking workers.

The government has presented an anti-strike bill to the House of Commons which would leave unions at risk of legal action if they fail to provide minimum levels of coverage.

Reacting to today’s strike news, Barclay said: “Patients will understandably be worried by the prospect of further strike action by nurses – the previous two days of nurse strikes saw around 30,000 elective procedures and outpatient appointments cancelled. It is inevitable industrial action will have an impact on patients.

“I have had constructive talks with the Royal College of Nursing and other unions about the 2023/24 pay process and look forward to continuing that dialogue.”