Patient support for North Yorkshire nurses despite second day of strike action
Members of the RCN Union have walked out again in a row over pay and conditions
Nurses across North Yorkshire have walked out for a second day in a row over pay and conditions.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing are striking at York, Scarborough and Harrogate.
It's come as ambulance workers with the GMB union confirm they'll walkout on four days in February and March.
It includes a walkout on February 6th, the same day nurses are planning another round of industrial action.
Despite warnings of disruption to the NHS, patients outside York hospital have told us staff have their support, even if it means delays to their treatments.
Lisa Frank's says her daughter's cancer treatment will take a lot longer because of the action, but she thinks nurses deserve a pay rise: "They work long hours and some of them have to put up with a lot of things, they do need paying for what they do, it is hard for them.
"The amount of people they have, there just aren't enough, they don't pay enough, if they gave enough incentive, they would have the people to work."
In Scarborough, members of the public dropped off food and hot drinks for nurses on pikcet lines.
Carmel O'Toole told us: "I am absolutely 100% behind the action their taking."
"We should be treasuring our NHS and treasuring our nurses."
'Patient care is suffering like never before'
RCN chief executive Pat Cullen said on Monday: "It is with a heavy heart that nursing staff are striking this week and again in three weeks. Rather than negotiate, (Prime Minister) Rishi Sunak has chosen strike action again.
"We are doing this in a desperate bid to get him and ministers to rescue the NHS.
"The only credible solution is to address the tens of thousands of unfilled jobs - patient care is suffering like never before.
"My olive branch to Government - asking them to meet me halfway and begin negotiations - is still there. They should grab it."
The RCN has been calling for a pay rise at 5% above inflation, though it has said it will accept a lower offer.
Inflation was running at 7.5% when it submitted the 5% figure to the independent pay review body in March - But inflation has since soared, with RPI standing at 14.2% in September.
On Monday, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Obviously we would continue to urge unions to step back from strike action, which will have an impact on patient care.
"We know in the first round of strikes 11,000 appointments were cancelled. So it's inevitable that this, on a larger scale, will have a larger impact and that is hugely regrettable at a time when the health service is under significant pressure.
"We feel like there have been constructive talks with the unions and we'd want those to continue rather than taking to the picket lines."
NHS England said patients should use services "wisely" by going to NHS 111 online but continuing to call 999 in a life-threatening emergency.