Ambulance workers on strike in Leeds have claimed patients in need of urgent medical care have been forced to wait for as long as 16 hours in the back of an ambulance.
Ambulance workers across the country began the first day of strikes on Wednesday (December 21) demanding fairer pay and conditions from the government. Workers across every trust in the country went on strike with many trusts declaring critical incidents due to the pressures on the health service.
In Leeds, Unison held a picket outside a number of ambulance stations including in Bramley, Seacroft and the city centre. Amid the strikes, people have been warned that ambulances will only be sent out to those with an "immediate risk to life".
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The strikes began at midnight with unions asking for support to pressure the government into negotiating a better pay deal. This is the latest industrial action taking place in the city following two days of nursing strikes at Leeds General Infirmary.
LeedsLive visited a picket outside the Leeds Central Ambulance Station on Richmond Hill to talk to workers about why they are striking. Many said that retention was lacking and they are not fairly compensated for the work they do.
Georgia Dennis, a paramedic who often works out of Bradford, said: "The strike isn't just about pay at all, in fact that is probably the smallest part.
"It's about the working conditions and staffing levels, at the moment the demand is so high and the staffing levels are so low.
"There just aren't enough people to meet the demands and because of that people are going to work elsewhere."
"In some instances there are places with better pay, better conditions, you don't have to work nights, you don't have to face the same risks and because of that it is just having a massive toll on everybody."
Lindsay Jefferson, an ambulance practitioner and student paramedic who has worked for the ambulance service for eight years says patients are dying due to the long wait times. She added that staff are not working the right conditions and she has had to wait up to 16 hours for a handover.
She said: "We are striking today because of the government's withdrawal of funding, not only for our pay but also throughout the NHS. It's affecting patient care, there are long waiting times, people are dying waiting for appointments.
"It's affecting ambulance staff, when we go to A&E with a patient who needs urgent medical attention, we can be waiting in an ambulance up to 16 hours either in the back of the ambulance or at the hospital or in corridors. Patients are not getting the care that they need, we do not want to be on picket lines, our focus is patient care, it is demoralising, but it is something we have to do, it's not our choice."
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