Yorkshire Ambulance declares critical incident as strike action looms
Staff from across the service are planning to walkout on Wednesday
Last updated 20th Dec 2022
Bosses at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have declared a critical incident, ahead of staff walking out on strike.
Paramedics and call handlers are among those expected to walkout in a row over pay and conditions on Wednesday.
Patients are expected to face long waits for an ambulance and people are being asked to only ring 999 in a life-threatening emergency.
At least three other services have declared critical incidents, including those in the North East, on the South East Coast and in the East of England.
Declaring the status allows them to instigate additional measures to protect patient safety.
A Yorkshire Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “An extremely high volume of calls is currently having a significant impact on both our 999 and NHS 111 operations and delays in in our ability to respond to patients in our communities.”
“Our service is under unprecedented pressure and declaring a critical incident means we can focus our resources on those patients most in need and communicates the pressures we are under to our health system partners who can provide support.
“For anyone with less serious illnesses and injuries, they should consider self-care, their local pharmacy, GP surgery or urgent care centre.
"For anyone who feels that their condition requires being seen at an emergency department, they should consider making their own way there.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and thank all our hard-working staff and volunteers for their efforts at this challenging time.”
Health secretary calls strikes "disappointing"
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said it was "disappointing" union members were going ahead with further strike action but added "my door remains open to further talks".
Writing on Twitter, he said: "I hugely value the work of our NHS staff & it's disappointing some union members are going ahead with further strike action - my door remains open to further talks.
"Unions have called for industrial action to cause maximum disruption & inevitably this will have an impact.
"My priority remains patient safety. We have contingency plans in place & I have met with ambulance union reps today @unisontheunion, @unitetheunion, @GMB_union & @AACE_org urging them to honour their commitment to provide responses to life-threatening emergency calls.
"People should come forward for emergency care & attend appointments unless contacted.
"Ultimately union demands are unaffordable during these challenging times but as I've said before, I'm open to engaging with unions on how to make the NHS a better place to work."