The Royal College of Nurses has announced two further dates for strike action. 

A new walkout, the latest in the bitter dispute over pay, pensions, and working conditions, is set to hit the NHS again on January 18 and 19.

The newly announces strikes will impact a wider number of hospitals, increasing cover from 44 to 55 trusts - though strikes will not happen in Wales and Northern Ireland. 

The RCN, which held two days of strike action in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20, said it has repeatedly invited ministers to hold talks on NHS pay.

Read more: Unison members to stage two fresh ambulance strikes

Pat Cullen, the RCN's general secretary said that the government had left nurses with "no choice but to act". 

She 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,” she said.

“The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.

“Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in.”

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to The Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is “sad” and “disappointed” about widespread strike action, but he insisted refusing to negotiate on public sector pay is the “right thing” in the long term.

The Prime Minister defended the Government on Friday as acting “fairly and reasonably” on the “difficult question”, but insisted he cannot budge or risk stoking inflation.

His refusals to give increased pay offers mean there is little chance of industrial disputes ending, with fresh strikes announced on a near-daily basis.