Health Secretary Steve Barclay made an 11th-hour appeal to union bosses last night to ‘call off the strikes’.

Thousands of ambulance workers and nurses will take to picket lines across England tomorrow. 

Nurses will walk out again on Tuesday in what will be the most strike-disrupted week of the winter so far for the Health Service.

Mr Barclay said he had been having ‘constructive talks with unions about what is affordable’ in terms of pay for the next financial year, adding: ‘I urge them to call off the strikes and come back to the table.’

Seven of England’s ten regional ambulance services will be hit by strikes tomorrow.

Mr Barclay said NHS contingency plans are in place but the strikes will ‘undoubtedly have an impact on patients’.

Royal College of Nursing boss Pat Cullen last night dampened hopes of any breakthrough by accusing the Government once again of ‘doing nothing’ to resolve the walkouts.