Paramedics warn that patients are dying “all the time” because first responders can’t reach them or because they don’t receive treatment on time.
Thousands of emergency NHS workers from Unison, Unite and GMB went on strike across England and Wales on Monday, citing public safety concerns as the reason for the union’s action. Staff warned that patients were suffering as staff “leave in droves” due to poor wages and poor conditions.
Ambulance technician Jakes Murphy said of the GMB union picket line at the West Midlands Ambulance Station in Donnington near Telford, Shropshire: “We are in a phase where we are losing staff on a daily basis because they make a trip they can’t keep going and that means we can’t take care of our patients. People die, we see it all the time.
“We see people not getting the treatment they need when they need it, so they get sick and end up dying because we can’t get to them or they don’t get the surgery they need, due to insufficient funding. due to understaffing.
Paramedic Kathy Nelson described herself as “oppressed and depressed” at the end of each shift.
The 35-year-old man said: “We are on strike because we are seriously concerned about public safety. When people leave the NHS en masse… staff don’t stay, they’re frustrated, discouraged, fed up with the current situation and there’s no reason to stay. Wages are not keeping up with inflation and our patients are suffering and we want to change that.
“And yet you kind of have to go home and get up and do it all over again the next day, and it’s frustrating and never seems to end.”
On the picket line in Leeds ER Bronte Williams said: “Working conditions are not the best. This is not fair to the patients or the teams we work with. I think everything should change. Patients are also losing confidence in the NHS. The National Health Service has been pushed to the limit and we can’t keep up.”
Unison health chief Sarah Gorton said workers lined up in an icy picket line as their jobs were “at risk on a daily basis.”
Porters, cleaners, nurses, midwives, health workers, theater workers and other NHS workers at Liverpool University Hospital Fund and City Heart and Chest Hospital also went on strike on Monday as wage disputes continue.
Thousands of nurses and paramedics will walk off the stage on February 6 unless an agreement is reached by then in what could be the biggest day of strike in healthcare history.
And as nurses go on strike on February 7, midwives in Wales will join them. Members of the Royal College of Midwives in Wales are on strike for eight hours from 8 am to 4 pm but are offering “holiday cover” to working women.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said she hoped strikes could be avoided next month. “Many, many days have passed between today and February 6, and I hope that the government will come to their senses, bring the general secretaries to the negotiating table – we will be there anytime, anywhere and anywhere – and make this deal” , – she said. said . .
“Therefore, I really hope that February 6 will be canceled, because the government has a proposal. If they don’t, then of course it will continue (and) it will be a very bad day for the NHS, everyone will feel it.
Health Minister Steve Barclay described “constructive discussions with unions on the pay process for 2023-24 next year”, but the unions called for a review of the payroll for 2022-23.
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.