The public of the West Midlands are being given an assurance that, on Wednesday, the ambulance service will continue to respond to incidents where this is a threat to life, despite strike action by two of our unions.
The Trust respects the right of trade union members to take such action or demonstrate their support for strike action. It should be noted that the action is in response to a national pay dispute with the government.
Members of Unite have indicated that they will undertake strike action on 21stDecember from 06:00 – 17:59.
GMB have indicated that they will undertake strike action from 00:01 – 23:59 on 21st December.
Emergency Services Operations Delivery Director, Nathan Hudson, said: “We have had productive discussions with our staffside colleagues to agree that ambulances will respond to:
The most urgent calls such as cardiac arrests and where a crew request immediate back up at the scene of a case
Other very serious cases such as heart attacks, strokes, difficulty in breathing and maternity cases
“In addition, staff in our non-emergency patient transport service will continue to convey vulnerable groups such as patients undertaking renal dialysis, cancer treatments, palliative care, emergency scans within the strike period timeframe.
“Only call 999 if you or the patient is critically unwell or there is risk to life. Ambulances will be dispatched where clinically appropriate.
“If you need medical help or advice, go to NHS 111 online (www.111.nhs.uk), your local GP or pharmacy.”
