INTENSIVE care, A&E and cancer ward nurses could soon join national NHS strikes across England, the Royal College of Nursing warned today as it considers escalating a dispute over pay and patient safety.

The union said a continuous 48-hour walkout with workers downing tools through the night could be on the cards as Tory ministers refuse to reconsider 2022-23’s below-inflation 4.75 per cent average wage offer.

The action would still see all staff meet minimum legal levels of care, as per previous strikes, but this time the union may not make local agreements to help NHS managers put contingency plans in place, RCN suggested.