Unions must give a firm commitment that ambulance crews across England will respond to heart attack and stroke callouts during the first nationwide strike action by paramedics in more than three decades, the Health Secretary demanded on Wednesday.
Health services and unions have said crews will still cover emergency Category One incidents during the strikes, which include life-threatening injuries, illnesses and cardiac arrests where the patient has stopped breathing and does not have a pulse.
But minister Steve Barclay on Wednesday raised questions over whether striking ambulance services will cover all emergency Category Two conditions, which can include heart attacks, strokes, epilepsy and burns.
“There’s a question in terms of whether they will cover all the Cat Twos — those are the emergency responses to things like heart attacks and stroke — so it is hugely important that those are also covered,” he told Times Radio.
The ambulance strikes on December 21 are part of a wave of walkouts this winter which will hit the railways, NHS and other public services.
Mr Barclay said talks are due to take place tomorrow between ambulance chiefs, NHS bosses and the unions to discuss Category Two coverage. He confirmed the Army could be called on to provide emergency back up. The GMB, Unison and Unite unions are co-ordinating industrial action across England and Wales in a dispute over pay.
But the impact of the action will vary from region to region with workers from all three unions only voting to strike in the north east and north west.
In London, while Unison workers are set to go on strike, crews represented by GMB and Unite will not join the action which starts at noon on December 21 and will last until midnight.
Union sources added that only “road crew” paramedics would be involved in the first stage of the dispute in the capital, meaning other medics would continue to provide specialist advice over the phone at the London Ambulance Service’s 999 call centres. It is unclear at this stage what impact the strike will have on the London crews’ ability to respond to emergencies.
It has about 2,800 paramedics and emergency medical technicians but not all belong to a union. London Ambulance Service, the busiest in the country, normally has between 400 and 450 ambulances on duty across the capital.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “Our staff and service are already under significant pressure. Should the industrial action go ahead, we will do everything we can to maintain lifesaving services for our sickest and most seriously injured patients. We hope negotiations reach a resolution so that this strike does not take place.”
Unison head of health Sara Gorton said: “Ambulance managers will be drawing up cover plans for each service. Unions will discuss those and ensure appropriate responses to emergencies on strike days.
“But instead of speculating about the consequences of a strike, Steve Barclay should be focusing all his energies on stopping action from happening.”
Mr Barclay said he was “open to talks with the trade unions” to resolve the dispute but added that if all public sector workers were given a pay rise in line with inflation it would cost £28 billion.
Royal Mail workers, nurses, highway workers, driving examiners, Heathrow baggage handlers, bus drivers and railway staff are also set to strike.
Some 40,000 train union members will press ahead with industrial action on December 13, 14, 16, 17, between 24 and 27 and on January 3, 4, 6 and 7 after talks broke down with rail operators over pay and conditions.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper today urged rail unions to give “at least a neutral recommendation” when putting offers to their members.
Ministers are already under pressure to speed up strike busting laws, which have stalled in Parliament.
