There will be picket lines outside the QEH on Gayton Road again on Monday, as staff stage a four-hour walk-out, followed by a work to rule.

Union leaders claim few staff will be eligible for a 1% pay rise agreed by the government earlier this year. They also claim the increase will not count towards pension entitlements.

Darren Barber, UNISON QEH branch secretary, said: 'Staff need to be treated well. The NHS is facing challenges so by telling more than half the workforce that they are not worth a pay rise will not help to mend relationships that have been strained by re-organization over the past few years.

'Over half of UNISON members employed by the NHS have children under the age of 16, a third are carers for elderly/disabled relatives and 20% have infants.'

The hospital declined to comment on the strike. It is not clear how many workers plan to walk out, but those taking part are expected to include radiographers, ambulance drivers and members of UNISON, Unite and the Royal College of Midwives.

Mr Barber said the joint staff-side consultative committee had been working with the trust before it took place to ensure a safe service for all patients would be delivered.