PUBLIC support for striking nurses is even higher now than it was when industrial action began six months ago, their union the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said today.

An RCN poll showed that 62 per cent of the public now supports the strikes by nurses — the highest for any profession taking strike action — with the majority of supporters saying they “strongly” support nurses.

And more than eight in 10  (82 per cent) of those polled said they support a pay rise for nurses.

The RCN is holding a second ballot of its 300,000 members on industrial action in line with government rules stating that strikers must be reballoted after six months.

If nurses vote to continue their campaign, industrial action will continue until December this year. Voting ends on June 23.

RCN general secretary and chief executive Pat Cullen said: “Public support this year has been immense but nursing staff have not taken it for granted.

“The patients who came onto picket lines, many straight from a hospital bed, gave a real boost to nursing staff who worried about leaving patients. 

“That public support is unwavering must focus attention in Downing Street.

“Rishi Sunak must look closely at the strong backing we have and understand this is unfinished business. When you do the right thing by nurses, you do the right thing by patients.

“Voters of all parties are still with us, and it appears he urgently needs to get them back on side this summer. Next month, as we celebrate 75 years of the NHS, this will be an election issue too.”