Industrial action by GMB and Unite trade unions will be taking place in the West Midlands on Monday 6th February 2023.
The Trust respects the right of trade union members to take such action or demonstrate their support of strike action.
- Members of the GMB have indicated that they will undertake strike action from 0600 on Monday 6 February until 0800 on Tuesday 7 February.
- Members of Unite have indicated that they will undertake strike action from 0600 until 1800 on Monday 6 February.
The industrial action means fewer ambulances on the roads and fewer staff taking your 999 calls. Please follow this guidance:
- 999 is primarily there for medical and mental health emergencies, if critically unwell or there’s a risk to life.
- Ambulance will still respond to urgent calls such as heart attacks, strokes and cardiac arrests as normal.
- If you need immediate medical care, and are unable to make your own way to hospital, please do not be afraid to call us – we will find you the right care.
- Please use 999 wisely and use the symptom checker at NHS 111 Online (www.111.nhs.uk) if you’re unsure of which service to use.
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.
“Ambulances will be dispatched where clinically appropriate.”
ENDS
Previous industrial action information: