NHS A&E and cancer nurses set to join 'most disruptive' strikes yet

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Nurses in England are preparing to escalate their dispute with the government by involving staff from NHS A&E departments, intensive care and cancer wards in a series of strikes by 48 hours.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) plans to advertise outings for two consecutive days and nights, rather than limiting action to 8am-8pm as they have done until now.

NHS leaders have warned that the impending strike could be the "biggest impact" on patients ever, with the union preparing to end a process where the RCN had agreed to exemptions with hospitals.

The RCN told NHS leaders on Friday it is preparing to step up its protest by asking its members working in emergency departments, intensive care units and d oncology to join the strike.

But the union, which should announce r strike this week, will make a very limited set of provisions for the most urgent clinical situations under a legal obligation not to end anger life.

An RCN source said: " They expected an escalation but had not prepared for the scrapping of committees and the waiver process that too many people had manipulated at the local level and pressured nurses into breaking the strike."

The addition: "NHS leaders fear this escalation, and they must press the government to stop it."

NHS Providers, the body representing NHS hospital services, said the prospect was 'alarming' - pointing out that walkouts have resulted in 137,000 appointments being postponed so far, including nearly 50,000 since Monday and Tuesday of last week alone .

Saffron Cordery, Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Providers said D: "An ongoing 48-hour strike that includes staff from emergency departments, intensive care units and cancer care wards would likely have the greatest impact on patients we've seen."

Urging Rishi Sunak's ministers to engage in wage compromise talks, she added: "The only way to avoid m Ore disruption is to end strikes, which means that the government needs to talk to the unions now about wages for this fiscal year.

Dates for the next nurses' strike in England are expected to be announced within days, with escalating action expected to take place within weeks.

Nurses in the NCR participated in a two-day strike...