Nurses from Norfolk's health trust - including the region's biggest hospital - are set to take part in strike action next month.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) confirmed Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) will be involved in the latest walkout on January 18 and 19.

As well as the N&N, other health trusts in the county which are participating in the action include Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB.

Elsewhere in the region, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Mid and South Essex ICB and NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB.

Two days of nurses strikes were held in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on December 15 and 20, which resulted in more than 40,000 patient appointments and procedures being rescheduled.

But nurses in Norfolk did not participate during the walkout earlier this month.

On two consecutive days in January, there will be 12-hour walkouts by nurses at 55 health trusts in England.

The move comes amid a dispute over pay after government officials declined a formal offer of negotiations rather than strike action.

Pat Cullen, head of the RCN, said the union had been left "with no choice" but to arrange January strikes.

"The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January," Ms Cullen said.

"The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS."

It comes as the public were warned that the health service remains under extreme pressure in the run-up to Christmas.

The East of England Ambulance Service had declared a critical incident status earlier this week amid a high volume of 999 calls and hospital handover delays.