What's on the table to end NHS strike as nurses could get cash - or backdated pay

One ​​minute you might see nurses being paid cash - the next minute the Tories are cracking down on the right to strike. It seems both could be true, but one could be truer than the other...

Members of the Royal College of Nursing on the picket line (

Image: PA)

In a minute, you'll read that the Tories are ready to compromise on nurses' pay, with a one-time payment or a backdated deal.

But next time you will see the unions castigate their "insult" and swear that the paramedics will be out as scheduled tomorrow, while the government announces a crackdown.

So what exactly is going on with the government and health services - and will the strike deadlock break out?

With so many private briefings, claims and counterclaims, it is very difficult to understand what is really going on.

So we've sifted through what we know and put it all together in one simple explainer.

Which NHS staff are on strike and when?

Members of the Royal College of Nursing in England are on strike on January 18 and 19.

Separately, paramedics from the GMB, UNISON and Unite unions are out in various parts of England on January 11, January 23 or both.

The level of disengagement varies by region. London, Yorkshire, North West, North East and South West are affected.

The GMB union says more than 10,000 paramedics will go on strike on January 11.

Unite announces that its 2,600 paramedics will strike on January 23.

And UNISON members of the ambulance service will strike on both dates.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay is considering two suggestions from unions (

Picture:

UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Imag) What are they asking for?

The Royal College of Nursing has long called for a 19% increase to offset soaring inflation and years of real cuts.

Recently its general secretary urged Tory ministers to 'meet halfway', and it is now understood the union could accept a 10% raise.

Currently