Nurses have called fresh strike action in January as their pay dispute with the Government escalates.
The Royal College of Nursing said the action will take place on on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19.
RCN General Secretary & Chief Executive Pat Cullen said: “The Government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.
“I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.”
It follows two days of strike action held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20.
The RCN had given the Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, until Thursday night to say he was prepared to reopen negotiations over pay or it would escalate the strikes.
However, ministers and their allies are braced for a period of growing unpopularity as the number of unions on strike grows.
Junior doctors are poised to join nurses in taking industrial action in the new year, with the British Medical Association (BMA) launching a strike ballot on 9 January.
Members of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) also recently voted on whether to stage industrial action over pay. Midwives in Wales voted to strike but action in England will not go ahead as numbers taking part in the ballot fell just short of the 50 per cent turnout needed.
Meanwhile, the RCM in Scotland has voted “resoundingly” to reject the latest pay offer, forcing the RCM Board to meet to decide on the next steps. NHS physiotherapy staff in England and Wales have also voted to take strike action.
It comes after industrial action on Wednesday in which thousands of ambulance workers from three unions went on strike for the first time in 30 years.
Mr Barclay has said he was “disappointed” by the further strikes he claimed were being co-ordinated to create “maximum disruption” and urged unions to call them off.
In a statement, he said: “While union members will not be going ahead with strikes over Christmas, we are disappointed they have announced further co-ordinated strikes in January to cause maximum disruption at a time when the NHS is already under extreme pressure.
“Ambulance staff on picket lines have been raising concerns about working conditions and handover times, so it is important to use this extra time to keep talking about how we can make the NHS a better place to work.
“However, the unaffordable pay demands of unions would mean taking money away from frontline services and cause further delays to care.
“Strikes are in no-one’s best interest, least of all patients, and I urge unions to reconsider further industrial action to avoid an even greater impact on patients.”
The GMB union announced on Friday that it has now suspended a post-Christmas strike on December 28 after receiving “amazing” public support.
Rachel Harrison, GMB national secretary, said: “We are overwhelmed by Wednesday’s amazing public support for our paramedics and ambulance staff.
“People across the country have been wonderful in backing us and we care so much about them too.
“That’s why we are suspending the proposed GMB industrial action on December 28.
“We know the public will appreciate being able to enjoy Christmas without any additional anxiety. They support us and we support them.”
