AMBULANCE staff working for five services in England – including the South West – are taking part in further industrial action today (Friday, February 10) over NHS pay and staffing.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians, other 999 crew members, call handlers and control room staff will be on picket lines at various times during the day, including Taunton Ambulance Station.

The Taunton picket line, on Liseiux Way, is expected to be in place until 8pm tonight.

UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea will be joining workers on strike at various locations in the South West.

Somerset County Gazette: Ambulance workers on strike in Taunton last monthAmbulance workers on strike in Taunton last month (Image: Somerset County Gazette)

This will be the fourth time ambulance staff have walked out during the current dispute.

UNISON head of health Sara Gorton said: “Dialogue can achieve great things. The prime minister should give it a go. Governments elsewhere in the UK have shown it’s good to talk to unions. That’s the only way disputes get resolved.

“Rishi Sunak says his door is open but without an invite to that mythical negotiating table, NHS staff have no choice but to go on strike.

“Ambulance workers are desperate to get back to work, care for people, and save lives. But they’re equally determined to secure the pay rise that’ll help put the NHS in a much better place.

“The prime minister must ditch the pretence. It’s time to come clean with people and admit the government’s only plan is to sit tight and hope public opinion turns against health workers.

“But that’s unlikely to happen. The public can see that by choosing not to negotiate, the government is condemning them to months of unnecessary disruption.

“Rishi Sunak says the NHS is a priority, but his inaction suggests otherwise. NHS leaders, health staff, and patients all want the government to resolve the dispute now, not in many months’ time.

“With the chancellor in hiding, it’s down to the prime minister to step up. Rishi Sunak must stop trying to sit it out, take the hand being offered to him by the unions, settle the dispute and allow the NHS to get back on track.”

Ambulance service issues appeal


The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is again urging the public to use 999 appropriately during today’s (Friday, February 10) industrial action and to only call if it is a life-threatening or life-altering emergency.

On days when there is strike action, people should continue to call 999 if there is a medical or mental health emergency [when someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk]. Ambulances will be able to respond in these situations, but this may only be where there is the most immediate risk to life.

 

Which service should I access?

• Self-care – visit online for self-care advice for things like grazed knees, coughs, and colds
• Pharmacy – visit your local pharmacy for headaches, upset stomachs, aches, and pains
• NHS 111 – visit online or call 111 for advice and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• GP – call your GP for symptoms that won’t go away
• Minor injuries unit – attend your local minor injuries unit for urgent not life-threatening conditions and injuries such as sprains, fractures, and burns

999 – call 999 for life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrest, loss of consciousness, fits that aren’t stopping, chest pain, breathing difficulties, severe bleeding, severe allergic reactions, suspected stroke, and serious head injuries.

Ambulance strikes started last year in December and two more strikes were held in January.

Here is a short video from the picket line outside Taunton Ambulance Station during last month's strike.