NHS strike chaos could last SIX MONTHS and begin before Christmas: Health chief promises service will do all it can to 'minimise harm' --

-- during Nurse walk-outs at more than 100 NHS trusts that will disrupt cancer treatment and children's care

(Daily Mail) Historic strikes by NHS nurses could start within weeks and potentially last until May in a devastating blow to an already-crippled health service.

Health insiders fear lives will be lost due to the unprecedented walk-outs, which will affect dozens of hospitals. A 'bank holiday service' will cause further delays and cancellations of routine treatment and operations, worsening the backlog which already sits an all-time high.

More than 300,000 members were asked whether they supported striking over pay and working conditions by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), in the 106-year-old union's first ever UK-wide ballot.

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