LIVE from picket lines as nurses stage 28-hour strike with NHS braced for 'significant disruption' - updates

NHS organisations across the country, including in Greater Manchester, are braced for significant disruption as nurses stage a 28-hour strike over pay.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) announced it would hold industrial action from 8pm yesterday (Sunday, April 30), until 11.59pm on Monday (May 1) after voting to reject the latest Government offer.

RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said the strike was prompted by staffing shortages 'putting patients’ lives at risk' and that nurses have worked 'tirelessly' with NHS England to make sure their walkout is as safe as possible for patients.

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The union initially said it would not agree to derogations – broad areas of care where staffing is guaranteed despite industrial action – but granted some exemptions last Friday in an apparent U-turn.

Urging the public to use NHS services wisely, NHS England asked those who need non-urgent care to go to pharmacies or dial 111 as their first port of call.

Nurses make up a quarter of NHS staff and are the biggest proportion of the health service workforce. NHS England warned that staffing levels for some areas of the country will be 'exceptionally low, lower than on previous strike days'. It added the number of rescheduled appointments due to strike action is set to hit half a million next week.

A High Court judge ruled on Thursday it would be unlawful for the RCN strike to continue into Tuesday as originally planned, meaning it will now end just before midnight on Monday (May 1).

The RCN said it expects NHS employers to review services and focus on delivering 'life-preserving care' but said it would work with the NHS to deal with 'extreme circumstances' during strike