London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 21, 2026

Strikes Update: How Monday 23 January’s walkouts will affect you

Strikes Update: How Monday 23 January’s walkouts will affect you

As ambulance workers get ready to strike again, the message from the NHS once more is: only call 999 if you are seriously ill or your condition is life-threatening.

Monday's walkout will affect ambulance services in England and Wales.

The action will involve thousands of staff, including paramedics, control room staff and support workers in a dispute over pay.

You can read more or watch this report about why people are taking strike action, and below you can find information on how it could affect you.


Which ambulance staff are striking?


Thousands of members of the Unison, GMB and Unite trade unions are walking out on Monday across much of England and Wales, although the East of England will be unaffected.

Unison members are striking in five regions: London, Yorkshire, the South West, the North West and the North East.

Around 2,600 Unite members are expected to walk out in England's North West, the West Midlands and the North East, and a further 1,000 will walk out in Wales.

About 1,000 GMB members are striking in the West Midlands for 24 hours.

The start times and lengths of the walkouts vary between ambulance services, but most will last for about 12 hours.

The action will involve all ambulance employees, including call centre and control room staff, not just emergency crews.


Hospital staff strike:


Unison members at two Liverpool hospital trusts will also be walking out on Monday in a dispute about pay, at Liverpool Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the city's Heart and Chest Hospital.

The strike will include NHS staff except doctors, so staff such as porters, assistants and midwives.


Advice if you need to call emergency services:


NHS England says priority will be given to those with the most clinically urgent health needs.

The NHS advice is:

*  Call 999 If you are seriously ill or injured, or your life is in danger

*  For all other healthcare needs, contact the 111 helpline, your local GP or pharmacy

*  Attend appointments as planned. The NHS has said it will contact anyone whose appointment has to be rescheduled due to the strike

The NHS's Charlotte McArdle said: "It is important that people continue coming forward for treatment, whether it is 111 online... or calling 999 in a life-threatening emergency.

"While strikes will impact some services in those local organisations taking action, NHS teams have worked hard to maintain routine care as much as possible."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Museum Faces Questions Over Peter Thiel’s Private Bayeux Tapestry Viewing
Earl Spencer Memoir Excerpts Renew Public Debate Over Diana’s Death
Liberal Democrats Gather in Brighton for Autumn Conference
Mothercare Shares Plunge as Middle East Store Closures Threaten Long-Term Solvency
Kent Police Treat Folkestone Hotel Fire as Suspicious
Caribbean Governments Advance Reparations Campaign Seeking Engagement With Britain
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
UK Competition Regulator Opens Inquiry Into McCormick-Unilever Foods Deal
Public Inquiry Into Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys Mental Health Failings Set to Begin
Nigel Farage Looks to US Immigration Enforcement Model for UK Border Policy
Chiltern Railways Moves Into Public Ownership
Security Review Raises Concerns Over Sensitive UK Police Data Stored on Microsoft Cloud
Burnham Government Warns of Difficult Autumn Budget as Fiscal Headroom Narrows
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
England Tightens School Food Standards With Restrictions on Deep-Fried and High-Sugar Foods
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Proposed Asylum Centre
Michael Marra Elected Leader of Scottish Labour
BBC Cash Reserves Fall Sharply as Financial Pressures Mount
George Osborne Calls for UK to Rejoin EU Customs Union
×