{"id":2580,"date":"2022-12-22T14:36:12","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T14:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londonpost.news\/?p=2580"},"modified":"2022-12-22T14:36:12","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T14:36:12","slug":"thousands-of-uk-ambulance-staff-strike-as-public-urged-to-avoid-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/magazine\/health-and-lifestyle\/thousands-of-uk-ambulance-staff-strike-as-public-urged-to-avoid-risks\/2022\/12\/22\/admin1\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of UK ambulance staff strike as public urged to avoid risks"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON,<\/span> Dec<\/span> 22<\/span>\u00a0(Reuters)<\/span> –<\/span> Thousands<\/span> of<\/span> ambulance<\/span> workers<\/span> in<\/span> England<\/span> and<\/span> Wales<\/span> walked<\/span> out<\/span> over<\/span> pay<\/span> on<\/span> Wednesday,<\/span> increasing<\/span> the<\/span> strain<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> state-funded<\/span> health<\/span> service<\/span> a<\/span> day<\/span> after<\/span> nurses<\/span> went<\/span> on<\/span> strike,<\/span> as<\/span> government<\/span> ministers<\/span> advised<\/span> the<\/span> public<\/span> to<\/span> avoid<\/span> taking<\/span> risks.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> government<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> “deeply<\/span> regrettable”<\/span> strike<\/span> would<\/span> result<\/span> in<\/span> fewer<\/span> ambulances<\/span> on<\/span> the<\/span> road,<\/span> with<\/span> only<\/span> the<\/span> most<\/span> urgent<\/span> life-threatening<\/span> cases<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> heart<\/span> attacks<\/span> prioritised.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Health<\/span> and<\/span> Social<\/span> Care<\/span> Secretary<\/span> Steve<\/span> Barclay<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> public<\/span> should<\/span> “just<\/span> use<\/span> their<\/span> common<\/span> sense”,<\/span> adding<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> action<\/span> came<\/span> when<\/span> the<\/span> National<\/span> Health<\/span> Service<\/span> (NHS)<\/span> was<\/span> “already<\/span> facing<\/span> very<\/span> significant<\/span> pressure”<\/span> from<\/span> cases<\/span> of<\/span> flu<\/span> and<\/span> COVID-19.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“That’s<\/span> the<\/span> point<\/span> at<\/span> which<\/span> the<\/span> trade<\/span> unions<\/span> have<\/span> chosen<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> industrial<\/span> action<\/span> and<\/span> in<\/span> doing<\/span> so<\/span> they<\/span> haven’t<\/span> been<\/span> willing<\/span> to<\/span> work<\/span> with<\/span> us<\/span> to<\/span> agree to<\/span> national<\/span> exemptions<\/span> in<\/span> terms<\/span> of<\/span> covering<\/span> all<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> category<\/span> one,<\/span> category<\/span> two,<\/span> life-threatening\u00a0and<\/span> emergency<\/span> calls,”<\/span> he<\/span> told<\/span> the<\/span> BBC.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“This<\/span> implication<\/span> that<\/span> somehow<\/span> we’ve<\/span> been<\/span> negligent<\/span> is<\/span> really<\/span> quite<\/span> shocking,”<\/span> she<\/span> told<\/span> Reuters<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> picket<\/span> line<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> capital.<\/span> “(It’s)<\/span> intimidating<\/span> in<\/span> public.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>She<\/span> said<\/span> medical<\/span> workers,<\/span> including<\/span> ambulance<\/span> crews,<\/span> had<\/span> “walked<\/span> away<\/span> in<\/span> droves”<\/span> as<\/span> services<\/span> declined.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“It<\/span> will<\/span> put<\/span> more<\/span> pressure<\/span> on<\/span> workers<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> being<\/span> left<\/span> behind,”<\/span> she<\/span> said,<\/span> adding<\/span> that<\/span> health<\/span> officials<\/span> are<\/span> having<\/span> trouble<\/span> hiring<\/span> and<\/span> retaining<\/span> workers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>44-year-old<\/span> paramedic<\/span> Tim<\/span> Stevens<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> pressure<\/span> on<\/span> all<\/span> paramedics<\/span> was<\/span> “completely<\/span> unprecedented.”<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We<\/span> can’t<\/span> keep<\/span> up<\/span> with<\/span> the<\/span> pace<\/span> of<\/span> this<\/span> work,<\/span> especially<\/span> emergency<\/span> service<\/span> patients<\/span> waiting<\/span> hours<\/span> every<\/span> day,”<\/span> he<\/span> said.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Sharon<\/span> Graham,<\/span> her<\/span> McAnea<\/span> colleague<\/span> at<\/span> Unite,<\/span> said<\/span> all<\/span> Category<\/span> 1<\/span> calls<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> answered<\/span> and<\/span> Category<\/span> 2<\/span> calls,<\/span> including<\/span> conditions<\/span> such<\/span> as<\/span> stroke,<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> evaluated<\/span> by<\/span> healthcare\u00a0workers.<\/span> London<\/span> paramedics<\/span> on<\/span> strike<\/span> over<\/span> pay<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“This<\/span> strike<\/span> didn’t<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> happen,”<\/span> she<\/span> told<\/span> the<\/span> BBC.<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> return<\/span> to<\/span> work.\u201d<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Her<\/span> GMB,<\/span> the<\/span> third<\/span> union,<\/span> says<\/span> that<\/span> since<\/span> 2010,<\/span> medical<\/span> wages<\/span> have<\/span> fallen<\/span> by<\/span> 17%<\/span> in<\/span> real<\/span> terms,<\/span> while<\/span> ambulance<\/span> demand<\/span> has<\/span> increased<\/span> by<\/span> 77%<\/span> over<\/span> the<\/span> same<\/span> period.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The government said that an independent payroll agency has given more than 1 million of her NHS workers a raise of at least \u00a31,400 ($1,704) and a pay raise of at least 4% for most ambulance workers.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> union<\/span> has<\/span> called<\/span> for<\/span> her<\/span> CPI<\/span> in<\/span> November<\/span> to<\/span> exceed<\/span> her<\/span> inflation<\/span> rate<\/span> of<\/span> 10.7%.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Barkley<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> company<\/span> is<\/span> focused<\/span> on<\/span> closing<\/span> backlogs<\/span> caused<\/span> by<\/span> the<\/span> pandemic<\/span> and<\/span> reducing<\/span> hospital<\/span> delays<\/span> for<\/span> patients<\/span> arriving<\/span> in<\/span> hospitals<\/span> by<\/span> ambulance.<\/span> He<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> government<\/span> had<\/span> accepted<\/span> recommendations<\/span> from<\/span> the<\/span> Pay<\/span> Review<\/span> Board,<\/span> which<\/span> came<\/span> into<\/span> force<\/span> almost<\/span> nine<\/span> months<\/span> ago.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“We<\/span> have<\/span> already<\/span> started<\/span> the<\/span> payment<\/span> process<\/span> for<\/span> next<\/span> April<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> discussion<\/span> should<\/span> take<\/span> place<\/span> there,”<\/span> he<\/span> told<\/span> LBC<\/span> Radio.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The<\/span> NHS<\/span> Confederation,<\/span> which<\/span> represents<\/span> the<\/span> NHS<\/span> organization,<\/span> said<\/span> the<\/span> strike<\/span> put<\/span> patient<\/span> safety<\/span> at<\/span> risk.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“This<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> worst<\/span> time<\/span> for<\/span> industrial<\/span> action,”<\/span> Chief<\/span> Executive<\/span> Matthew<\/span> Taylor<\/span> told<\/span> his<\/span> ITV.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>“Even<\/span> without<\/span> the<\/span> ambulance<\/span> industrial<\/span> action<\/span> today,<\/span> it<\/span> would<\/span> have<\/span> taken<\/span> twice<\/span> as<\/span> long<\/span> to<\/span> reach<\/span> Category<\/span> 2<\/span> people.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Although<\/span> the<\/span> Army<\/span> is<\/span> on<\/span> standby<\/span> to<\/span> assist<\/span> in<\/span> driving<\/span> and<\/span> manoeuvring<\/span> emergency<\/span> vehicles,<\/span> Soldiers<\/span> do<\/span> not<\/span> have<\/span> all<\/span> the<\/span> powers<\/span> emergency<\/span> personnel<\/span> need<\/span> to<\/span> respond<\/span> or<\/span> provide<\/span> clinical<\/span> care.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LONDON, Dec 22\u00a0(Reuters) – Thousands of ambulance workers in England and Wales walked out over pay on Wednesday, increasing the strain on a state-funded health service a day after nurses went on strike, as government ministers advised the public to avoid taking risks. The government said the “deeply regrettable” strike would result in fewer ambulances […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":""},"categories":[562],"tags":[285,563,564,565,566,567,568],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Amblnce.jpg","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions\/2583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brusselsindependent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}