When are the strikes?
The ambulance strikes will take place on Wednesday 21 and Wednesday 28 December.
Who’s on strike?
Members of three unions, GMB, Unison and Unite, representing approximately 25,000 ambulance workers, will go on a coordinated strike on Wednesday 21 December.
The action involves paramedics, paramedics, call handlers and emergency room assistants in 10 of the 11 NHS trusts in England and Wales.
GMB unionists will stage another strike at nine trusts on December 28.
Why are they striking?
The unions voted to strike in a dispute over the government’s 4% wage allocation.
It comes as a real wage cut with the UK’s current inflation rate of 11%.
Which areas are affected?
The date and times of the strikes vary by union and ambulance service, as do the number of staff on strike in each area.
On both December 21 and 28, more than 10,000 GMB members from nine trusts in England and Wales will leave.
These include:
Southwest Ambulance Service
Southeast Coast Ambulance Service
Northwest Ambulance Service
South Central Ambulance Service
Northeast Ambulance Service
East Midlands Ambulance Service
West Midlands Ambulance Service
Welsh Ambulance Service
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Meanwhile, Unison members, including paramedics, emergency room assistants, ambulance technicians and other 999 crew members, will walk away from five shifts on Dec. 21.
These are:
London Ambulance Service
The Yorkshire Ambulance Service
Northwest Ambulance Service
Northeast Ambulance Service
Southwest Ambulance Service
Workers represented by the Unite union will also walk out of the following services on December 21:
Northwest Ambulance Service
West Midlands Ambulance Service
Northeast Ambulance Service
The regions most likely to be hit hardest are the North East and North West of England, where all three unions have voted for a strike.
Meanwhile, the East of England Ambulance Trust is the only one unaffected by the strikes.
Can you get an ambulance?
It is expected that all category 1 calls – the most life-threatening such as cardiac arrest – will be answered.
Some ambulance trusts have agreed waivers with unions for specific incidents within what is known as Category 2, which includes serious conditions such as stroke or chest pain.
However, it is unlikely that patients in category three – usually including falls – and category four will receive an ambulance during the strikes.
Military personnel are called upon to provide support for ambulance calls during the strike, but will not operate ambulances on blue lights for the most serious calls.
What should you do in the event of a disaster on strike days?
The Ministry of Health and Social Care has said it remains advised for people to call 999 in case of an emergency.
Health Minister Will Quince urged people to stay safe during Wednesday’s strike, telling BBC Breakfast: “If people are planning risky activities I would strongly encourage them not to do so because there will be disruption on that day will be.’
The Health Minister also told the public that calling 999 should still be the first option in an emergency.
“But most importantly, anyone who has an emergency or life-threatening situation should continue to call 999 as they would have done before, and for any other situation, NHS 111 or NHS 111 online.”