Advice to Melton patients as ambulance staff go on strike

Industrial action is being taken today, from 6am until 6am tomorrow morning and it is also planned on Wednesday December 28 over the same time period.

EMAS has a workforce of over 4,000, which includes people employed in A&E frontline ambulance crews, 999 control rooms, Non-Emergency Patient Transport Services and Enabling Services.

Employees with the GMB trade union have voted to take the action which is understood to affect up to 50 per cent of staff.

And EMAS posted on social media this morning: “Our 999 control rooms are carefully assessing and prioritising an ambulance response for those who need it most, and this may only be where there is an immediate threat to life.

“You are likely to be asked to make your own way to hospital if it is safe to do so, via car or taxi.”

Ben Holdaway, director of operations for EMAS, said: “During the period of the dispute, we will do all we can to minimise the impact on patient safety and will continue to work very closely with trade union colleagues, regional service providers and NHS Employers.

“Our operational teams have developed contingency plans to aim to maximise the number of ambulance staff and volunteers we have available to respond to patients, as well as clinical staff able to carry out remote clinical assessments.

“However, we anticipate that on days where there is industrial action that there will still be fewer ambulances available and therefore our responses to our patients will, inevitably, be much slower on the day.

“Patients should continue to call for an ambulance as normal if they experience a life-threatening emergency and should continue to access other more appropriate services for any other illnesses or injuries such as NHS111 online or contacting their local Urgent Treatment Centre.

“We fully respect the right of NHS staff to take lawful and peaceful industrial action, however we do urge national employer representatives and trade union colleagues to proactively engage and reach a negotiated settlement to the dispute as quickly as possible.”