On Monday night she told Sky News: “I needed to come out of this meeting with something serious to show nurses why they should not strike this week. Regrettably, they are not getting an extra penny.”
She also said that Mr Barclay “showed total belligerence this afternoon, he closed his books and walked away”.
“I did most of the talking, there was very little talking coming from the other side of the table, except to keep repeating to me that he has accepted the independent pay review body recommendation,” she added.
Last night, union leaders threatened a fresh wave of more severe strikes in the new year in which nurses would offer “less generous” support inside hospitals, with “more hospitals and more nurses taking part than at present” if the government refused to back down.