New ambulance strikes will widen the supply backlog at hospitals and “majorly affect” their ability to clear waiting lists, the NHS chief said.
Saffron Corderi, acting director of NHS Providers, warned that healthcare is likely to be hit harder by Wednesday’s strike than by December’s strike as more staff, including on-call workers, take action.
Up to 25,000 paramedics, callers, drivers and technicians from the Unison and GMB unions took part in phased strikes in Wales and most of England within 24 hours.
While it was “too early to tell” what the impact would be, Ms Corderi said: “The pressure will rise. We know there will be disruptions, but it’s hard to predict the magnitude at this time.
“While the NHS may reactivate and weather a period of intense pressure, such as union action, it will continue to seriously sap its capacity to perform normal services.”
The NHS waiting list for standard care in England now exceeds 7.2 million and the prime minister has promised to cut that number down.
Ms Corderi said 999 calls were received on Wednesday in the same pattern as last month when paramedics went on strike. She said the union’s actions had a “domino effect” on “waiting lists (and) timely treatment for people in need of treatment.”
The Nuffield Trust said it was “very difficult” to determine the direct impact of ambulance strikes on patients, but indicated that ambulance travel times on strike days in affected regions were significantly reduced as trusts focused on category 1 life-threatening transactions .
Asked if he agreed with Treasury Secretary Grant Shapps’ comments that the striking paramedics were “reckless,” Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “When there are delays in ambulances, it raises concerns about our ability to get that help.” Clearly, there are concerns about the impact on patient safety.”
Ambulance workers said they were on strike for another day due to “frustrating” and “demoralizing” conditions in the NHS. Many strikers described regular hours of waiting for patients to be transported from ambulances to doctors and nurses, while some hospital corridors were reported to have become “almost an infirmary”.
Jenny Giblin, a paramedic on the Birkenhead picket line, told Wirral that the situation has “definitely gotten worse” over her seven-year career. said, “The corridors are almost like stations. Sometimes you stand a whole shift in the hallway. It’s demoralizing. Sometimes I’m afraid to go to work because I know what’s going to happen.”
During the day, doctors were called from the pickets. Will Dunkerley, 24, left the picket line in London’s Waterloo to help a man who was having trouble breathing. He said he drove to the address given by car to attend to the patient while they waited for the ambulance, which arrived a few minutes later.
NHS physical therapy workers across England will strike on January 26 and February 9, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) announced on Wednesday. Further dates will be announced unless there is an improved government proposal, the CSP said.
The planned strike follows CSP securing strike mandates for 119 NHS employers covering 13,500 physical therapists across England in elections held late last year and this month. Up to 4,200 CSP members will take part in the January 26 campaign.
The CSP attended talks with the government earlier this week but said the lack of a concrete proposal meant they “have no choice” but to go on strike.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.