London ambulance staff walk out as pay dispute continues
The Prime Minister has said he is not able to "wave a magic wand" to resolve the bitter dispute over pay among NHS staff.
Rishi Sunak said that giving pay rises to striking staff - including ambulance workers and nurses - would lead to money being taken away from "elsewhere in the NHS budget".
But he insisted that the Government would continue to "engage in dialogue with the unions".
Earlier, the Prime Minister was accused of being "missing in action" during the dispute, with one union pointing to an "abdication of leadership".
Unite said that Health Secretary Steve Barclay "does not have authority" to negotiate pay deals, as it urged Mr Sunak to call a meeting with union leaders.
It comes as thousands of ambulance workers are staging the third strike in five weeks in the bitter dispute over pay.
Up to 15,000 Unison ambulance workers are on picket lines and have been joined by up to 5,000 of their NHS colleagues at two hospital trusts in Liverpool.
Further strikes are planned in the coming weeks by nurses and other NHS workers.
Thousands of nurses and ambulance workers are due to stage walkouts on February 6 if no deal has been reached by then - potentially the biggest day of strikes in the history of the health service.
And as nurses take strike action on February 7, they will be joined by midwives in Wales.
Members of the Royal College of Midwives in Wales are to stage an eight-hour walkout from 8am to 4pm but will provide "bank holiday cover" for women in labour.
Mr Barclay has described "constructive talks with unions about this coming year's pay process for 2023/24", but unions have been calling for the 2022/23 pay award to be reviewed.
Thousands of members of Unison, Unite and the GMB unions staged walk outs across England and Wales on Monday.
Paramedics, emergency care assistants, ambulance technicians, other 999 crew members and control room staff across five services in England - London, Yorkshire, the North West, North East and South West - joined picket lines.
Porters, cleaners, nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, theatre staff and other NHS workers at the Liverpool University Hospitals Trust and the city's Heart and Chest Hospital are also out on strike.
NHS medical director Professor Sir Stephen Powis said: "As with other ambulance strikes, the message to patients remains that it is vital to come forward and seek emergency care if needed.
"This includes calling 999 for life-threatening emergencies as well as using 111 online for other health needs where you will receive clinical advice on the best next steps to take.
"People should also continue to use local services such as pharmacies and general practice as they normally would which aren't impacted by strike action."