The first NHS strike for over 30 years has started, with hospital staff walking out for four hours.

Following what unions describe as "five years of pay cuts and caps", picket lines are expected to be manned by thousands at hospitals, including Whipps Cross in Leytonstone, today.

Emergency cover will be provided during the strike action, but clinics will be cancelled and hospital transport may be affected.

A recent pay rise of one per cent was offered to NHS workers, but only for those without automatic progression-in-the-job rises.

Doctors and dentists are not involved.

Jim Fagan, from Waltham Forest Save Our NHS, said: “It’s had a massive impact on their living standards, Inflation has already wiped out 12 percent of the average NHS worker’s pay since 2011.

"Workers in the bottom two pay bands are paid less than the Living Wage and 70 percent of NHS staff are not due a pay rise for another two years

“On Monday October 13 Nurses, Midwives and other vital health workers.will be striking for across England, from 7am to 11am with emergency cover.

"This will be followed by 4 days of action short of strike action from 14-17 October for the rest of that week, where health workers will take their break, something many of us never get to do.

“Let’s show our support for health workers and our NHS which is threatened by cuts and privatisation."

Extra police support will be offered today.

A spokesman for the police said there will be 74 'double-staffed' response vehicles in the capital and that officers have been selected from boroughs and specialist units across London to provide the necessary support.

While the ambulance service will attempt to deal with higher priority calls, lower priority calls will be passed to the police vehicles and an assessment made as to whether the patient requires transport to hospital or can obtain treatment any other way.

If an ambulance is required, officers will wait with the patient until the ambulance arrives.

A Department of Health spokesperson said:“We are disappointed that trade unions are taking industrial action and have rejected our proposals to give NHS staff at least 1% additional pay this year and at least a further 1% next year.

“NHS staff are our greatest asset, and we've increased the NHS budget to pay for over 12,500 more clinical staff since 2010. We cannot afford a pay rise in addition to increments - which disproportionately reward the highest earners - without risking frontline jobs.”