Statistics on last week’s nurses strike are here available on the NHS England website: NHS England » Potential industrial action in the NHS

In summary, over 28 hours there were 7,600 cancellations in acute care. At the peak of the action, there were 5034 staff not at work due to industrial action. There were however a high number of nil returns on the workforce data collection so these figures are not the full picture.

Deputy chief nurse Charlotte McArdle said: “Despite the extensive efforts of NHS staff to keep patients safe and limit disruption amid the loss of thousands of vital nursing staff, this weekend’s industrial action has inevitably had a very significant impact for patients and staff.

“Across the NHS we have now seen more than half a million appointments and procedures rescheduled over the last six months as a result of strikes from staff in a range of NHS roles – and with each strike, it is becoming harder. Our staff are doing all they possibly can to manage the disruption and deliver rescheduled appointments as quickly as possible, but there’s no doubt that each round of industrial action makes it more difficult for the NHS to tackle the backlog.”