Five NHS organisations in London are taking part in the strikes
In England and Wales, most NHS staff have already received a pay rise of roughly £1,400 this year - worth about 4%, on average, for nurses.
Ms Cullen said she was "truly sorry" for every patient whose care had been disrupted because of the nursing strikes. "The RCN's demands are unaffordable during these challenging times and would take money away from frontline services while they are still recovering from the impact of the pandemic," he said.
The RCN has threatened to escalate strike action if ministers do not join talks within 48 hours of Tuesday's walkout.The action by nurses will be followed on Wednesday by a strike by ambulance staff, when Unison, GMB and Unite members take action. GMB union members will go on strike again on 28 December.
Stephen Segasby, from the service, said: "Ambulances will still be able to respond during the strike, but this will only be where there is an immediate risk to life.
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