• England’s deputy chief nursing officer is on strike.
• Charlotte McArdle will “watch national events” before next week’s walkout.
• Nurses should be respected and paid well.

The Deputy Chief Nursing Officer for England Charlotte McArdle has said all parties, including the RCN, would be “working carefully” today to “keep a very close eye”, to “make sure care is delivered safely through all the 12 hours of the strike”.

As the strikes lead for NHS England, McArdle said she would be “overseeing what is happening nationally” and “getting a sense of changes we need to make ahead of next Tuesday” when the next day of walkouts is scheduled.

She said: “Nurses need to feel valued and respected and should be rewarded with good pay and conditions in the NHS.”

Asked if she felt striking nurses were letting people down, McArdle said: “Nobody wants to be on strike and these aren’t decisions individual nurses have made lightly.

“They’re very personal decisions. I’m personally working today because my role is not part of the strike.”

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