300,000 nurses are due to vote today about whether to strike over pay.
The vote comes amid warnings that record numbers of nurses are leaving their jobs.
This is the Royal College of Nursing's (RCN) first UK-wide ballot.
The RCN said analysis by London Economics showed that nurses' real-terms earning have fallen by 6 per cent compared with 3.2 per cent for those who work in the private sector.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said to those being balloted: “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to improve your pay and combat the staff shortages that put patients at risk.
“Governments have repeatedly neglected the NHS and the value of nursing. We can change this if together we say ‘enough is enough’.
“Record numbers are feeling no alternative but to quit and patients pay a heavy price. We are doing this for them too.
“I have spoken with hundreds of you directly in recent weeks - it’s clear we need urgent change.
“Nursing is the best job in the world. Protect it with your vote.”
Close control retained by hospital pharmacy departments over homecare provision means clinical te
MGPS Services Ltd are an independent company accredited to ISO 9001:2015 and provide Medical Gas
NHS SBS has a new technology framework, for the procurement of remote patient monitoring solutions
HB spoke to Dr Patrick Davey, a cardiology consultant from Northampton on how remote consultations are being used to tackle the backlog