Staff at Medway hospital were among thousands of NHS workers staging a four hour strike around the country today.

Nurses, midwives and ambulance staff were protesting about the government's decision not to implement a 1% rise recommended by a pay review body.

Among the union members who walked out at 7am, was nurse Jacqui Berry, 27, who trained at Medway Hospital and has been working there for a year.

A first time striker, and a member of Unison's national executive committee, she said she had been driven to take action by the lack of understanding and hypocrisy coming from Westminster.

"Effectively NHS staff have had their pay reduced by 10 per cent, while MPs have awarded themselves an 11 per cent pay rise, which adds insult to injury," she said.

"What message does it send out? It says we value our health service considerably less than we value 658 people who are pretty well paid anyway and forget who they represent.

"Although this strike is about pay, it's about a lot more than that. We've got a government that's hell bent on breaking up and privatising the NHS, and unless we've got unions that are prepared to stand up and fight for it, it will go. That's why we're fighting back."

Unison branch secretary Andy Travers, 47, who works as a hospital porter, said people had been largely supportive, with one local resident bringing the staff food and drinks, and many drivers showing support by beeping their horns.

But he said further action would be necessary as the government seemed set on keeping wages down.

"They're already saying it will be the same next year," he said. "The government want to privatise the NHS and they want to make it attractive to private companies by keeping the pay costs low."

Fellow porter Donald Ansell, 51, branch chairman of Unite, said: "We're starting to get heard but not as much as we need. None of us want to strike, but it's coming to a point where more and more of us are walking out. People have had enough."