The BBC interviews a woman whose daughter had an appointment cancelled due to the nurses' strike.
'I am 100% behind the nurses, I think they're absolute legends...and it makes me angry that the government has held down their pay for years.'
People aren't waiting 40 hours for an ambulance because of industrial action by the RCN. They're waiting 40 hours for an ambulance because the Tories are underfunding the NHS.
The #NursesStrike isn’t just about money but patient care and safety. Respect for the profession as well as adequate and safe numbers of staff in wards. It is a very hard and important job. If we don’t look after the nurses who will look after us when we are sick?
This caller, who witnessed nurses 'working their socks off' taking care of his brother-in-law, says 'if I were health minister, they should have got a 20% pay rise straight away'.
@TomSwarbrick1
Tens of thousands of nurses across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are on the first of two day-long strikes over pay
Based on what you have seen or heard, do you support or oppose nurses going on strike over pay?
Support: 64%
Oppose: 28%
https://t.co/3O2DtOjpw9
On our first day of strike action, public support for a pay rise for nursing has been immense – and new polling confirms the huge support from people all over the country. The public know when we speak, we speak for patients.
Giving nurses the pay increase they're calling for would cost around £1.8 billion per year.
Scrapping the non-dom tax avoidance scheme used by the super-rich would raise much more - around £3.2 billion per year.
The Tory refusal to pay nurses properly is a political choice.
I'm an NHS nurse and today for the first time in my career I'm on strike
I'm striking for fair pay.
I'm striking to protect my patients.
I'm striking to save the NHS.
Please fight with us for our NHS. #FairPayforNursing#NursesStrike