London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Jun 02, 2025

NHS bosses fear impact of second ambulance strike

NHS bosses fear impact of second ambulance strike

The impact of Wednesday's ambulance strike in England and Wales is likely to be worse than that of the one before Christmas, NHS managers are warning.

Thousands of paramedics and support staff will walk out for the second time this winter, in the dispute over pay.

NHS Providers said this strike would be harder to cope with, as the government raised fears over the lack of a national deal on emergency cover.

But union leaders said life-and-limb cover would be provided.

Under trade-union laws life-preserving care must continue.

But there is no formal agreement of what that involves and so it has been left to local services to agree their own arrangements with the unions involved, the GMB and Unison.

The highest-category calls, for immediately life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, will be covered - but not every emergency in the next category down, which includes heart attacks and strokes, will be provided for.

Government sources involved in contingency planning said the lack of agreement over emergency calls was a concern.

They said this could be covered by the minimum-service legislation ministers are considering introducing.



But union leaders said detailed plans were in place to ensure lives were not put at risk, including exemptions for some union members expected to work during the walkout.

Services will also bring in other NHS staff, alongside the military, to provide support. London Ambulance Service has confirmed it aims to get to all heart attacks and strokes.

Unison general secretary Christina McAnea said: "Last time, staff didn't hesitate to leave picket lines when someone's life was in danger.

"After a decade of refusing to bring in minimum staffing levels, it's ironic that the government is only prepared to do so during a strike.

"Every other day of the year, ambulance crews are stuck queuing for hours outside A&E departments and hospital staff are rushed off their feet. But the government isn't interested in minimum staffing levels then."


'Significant disruption'


Miriam Deakin, of NHS Providers, said her members were worried because Unison was telling call handlers and ambulance dispatchers, who remained in work during the previous strike, to walk out also.

"With more staff expected to strike this time, the NHS is in an even more precarious position," she said.

"Since the last strikes, delays transferring patients from ambulances to hospitals have got worse, as pressure across the whole of the NHS increases.

"Trust leaders are working hard to minimise the impact on patients and to support staff during the industrial action - but they are braced for another day of significant disruption and knock-on effects."


I worry we're killing people - 999 call centre worker


Alongside paramedics, 999 call centre workers will also going on strike. One ambulance dispatcher, who wishes to remain anonymous, says for them there is no other option.

"The job is crushingly depressing, stressful and embarrassing," the dispatcher says. "I feel so destroyed. The feeling of saving lives has been taken over by how many can we not kill."

They say the most frustrating issue is the number of crews stuck outside hospital waiting to hand patients over to accident-and-emergency staff.

"I know going in that I will have to dispatch ambulance crews to hospitals to take over from other ambulance crews who have been outside for 12 hours," the dispatcher says.

"It just means we don't have those crews available to respond to calls and it exacerbates our shortness of resources by 10-fold, 100-fold.

"I never thought I'd leave the NHS - but I'd take a job at Aldi. I'd take a job cleaning. The thought of going in and having to manage those calls just fills me with absolute dread."

Some of the walkouts will start from 00:01 but the duration and scale of the disruption will vary across different parts of England and Wales.

Only the East of England Ambulance Service will remain unaffected, as neither union obtained a strike mandate in the ballot there.

But Unison, the biggest union in the ambulance service, has a mandate for walkouts in only half of the 10 regional services in England.

Between them, the two unions represent about two-thirds of ambulance staff.


Life-threatening emergencies


During the last walkout, on 21 December, the service saw a lower number of calls than normal.

NHS medical director for secondary care Dr Vin Diwakar said: "The message from the NHS to patients is clear - if you need emergency care, please come forward.

"This means continuing to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies as well as using 111 online for other health needs, where you will receive clinical advice on the best next steps to take."

The walkout comes after ambulance staff along with other NHS workers were offered a pay rise averaging 4.75%. All were guaranteed an increase of at least £1,400 a year - more than 7% for the lowest paid.


Unions wanted an above-inflation pay rise, saying low pay was contributing to high vacancy rates and the problems the ambulance service was facing responding to emergency calls.

It is taking two to three times longer than it should to answer emergency calls such as for heart attacks and strokes.

NHS unions met with Health Secretary Steve Barclay on Monday - but no agreement on pay was reached.

Ambulance staff in Northern Ireland have also been on strike, while in Scotland the unions have a mandate for action but no dates have been set.

Other NHS unions have also started striking or are planning to. Royal College of Nursing members will walk out on Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
×