Tens of thousands of nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland today took to picket lines, bringing swathes of the NHS to a standstill.
It marks in the first of a series of walk-outs, coordinated by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), in a bid for better pay and working conditions.
The Government has offered nurses a 4 per cent pay rise, worth around £1,400, but the union is seeking an inflation-busting hike of 19 per cent.
Strikes were averted